Past, Present, & Furture
by Race122VE
Summary: *Spoilers* ~*~NEW: ADDED CHAPTER 11~*~5/7 X-over w/BtVS. Cordy's latest vision sends the gang packing to Sunnydale to stop SahJhan, even though all they know is that he's out for Angel's past. F/G, minor C/A
1. Prologue

1 Past, Present, & Future  
  
By – Colleen "Coll", Forker18@aol.com  
  
Teaser: X-over with BtVS. Cordy gets a vision that sends the gang packing to Sunnydale, knowing that Sahjahn fits into it all but not sure how. Also, they get shocked when each member of the Angel Investigations gang realizes they have to deal with their past.  
  
Genre: Angel: The Series/Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Romance/Suspense/Action  
  
Pairing: Gunn/Fred, Angel/Cordelia  
  
Rating: PG-13 - R  
  
Distribution: Sure, why not, just ask!  
  
Spoilers: Up to Sleep Tight, and makes references to some rumors floating around on the net.  
  
Special Thanks to: All the Forkers (Especially those @ the fanforum board! Love you guys!) and everyone @ FF.net for reviewing my fics!  
  
1.1 Prologue  
  
It was different now. Everything was different, and it didn't help that one thought kept running through her mind every second of every day.  
  
"If I was here…would this have happened?"  
  
Cordelia couldn't help but think that. She understood it, but Groo didn't. He just…didn't understand that he couldn't be her number one priority right now. She was the only one who got remotely through to Angel, and that meant something. The visions still came. Groo took care of the demons, along with Gunn. Cordy was still trying to figure out what her vision of Angel meant.  
  
She still felt his pain, anger, and hurt. It added on to her own, and it was killing her. Wesley had come back to the office a few days after being released from the hospital. She had spoken with him, Fred, Gunn, and Lorne, telling them about the visions. It was hard to though, talking to Wesley. She, herself, was upset with him; however, Angel's anger lingered inside of her.  
  
She felt like jumping up and beating the shit out of him. Cordy knew he understood that too. Just by the way he looked at her, and with the gentleness he used when he spoke. Gunn had taken over as the boss, which surprised her, but the fact that it was Wesley's decision shocked her more. He thought they should remain aware of the visions.  
  
"Each vision means something," he said after she had confessed what she felt. "We have to remember that."  
  
The rest agreed.  
  
Things with Wesley though, it worried her; especially if they had to come together in the end for a fight where everyone would be needed. Could they all pull it together? Lorne was still bitter, but hey, who wouldn't be? Gunn, he was upset cause he stuck up for Wes and then Wes let him down.  
  
Fred was really the only one who spoke to him. Cordelia noted that they only talked about the situation when looking through books. Speaking of books, you couldn't step anywhere in the hotel without stepping on an open book.  
  
Wesley was trying to redeem himself that much was for sure. Fred was the only one who knew if he had accomplished anything. No one, including herself, really wanted to talk about it…so they didn't.  
  
At first, Cordy thought that Fred's connection to Wesley would have made Gunn angrier with Wes, especially since Fred and Gunn were apparently seeing each other when she left with Groo. That, she must say, she didn't see coming. She also didn't see that her and Gunn would still be together. That shocked the crap out of her, considering she was all magical now.  
  
Fred had assured Gunn that her heart was with him while still making sure he understood that Wesley needed at least one person to be on his side. They made her sick sometimes, and jealous. The way they kissed each other good-bye and hello, and how they did it in secret…it was something she had just experienced with Groo, until she was yanked back into the cruel reality.  
  
Now, here she was with him. The silence was choking her, but what was she going to do? Strike up meaningless chatter? Connor was the most important thing to Angel. He never thought he'd do anything good with his life, and always thought that all of the people he saved would never be enough to make up for what he'd done.  
  
Connor gave him hope. He knew that, no matter what happened, if he'd lost all of them, as long as he had Connor…there was always hope. The man that she sat in the room with was hopeless. Determined, but hopeless.  
  
They needed Connor back.  
  
A knock brought Cordelia out of her thoughts. Angel didn't even blink as she got up and walked to the door. She cracked the door open enough for her to slip out. "Anything?" she asked Fred immediately. Fred nodded, "Wesley's on to something, but that's not why I'm here." "What happened?" Cordy asked, confusion laced in her tone.  
  
"Someone's here to see you."  
  
~*~  
  
Gunn shifted in his seat. He was feeling a little uncomfortable right now. From what he's heard, when people from Sunnydale come to L.A., things don't really go too well. This chick, Anya, looked…well, she looked like shit. Her eyes, all Gunn could see was pain. He had asked if she wanted to talk about it, and she replied that she had no idea who he was, why should she talk to him?  
  
He didn't blame her. Something was off a little, though. Gunn never really remembered Cordy mentioning an Anya before. "Anya?" Cordy called as she was heading down the stairs. "What's the matter? Did something happen?"  
  
"Yes," Anya said as she stood and met Cordelia half way. "Xander called it off, he left me." "Oh, God, Anya." Cordy whispered as she pulled the girl into a hug. Anya began to sob quietly into Cordelia's shoulder. "Your ex, Xander?" Gunn asked from where he sat. Fred came over and smacked him in the arm.  
  
Cordy glared at Gunn before turning back to the broken girl. "What happened?" Cordy asked as she led Anya over to a nearby couch. "A man I cursed once a long time ago…he was out to get revenge," she started, stopping every now and again to sniff. "He came to Xander, saying he was from the future. He showed Xander a fake future, but it scared him."  
  
"Cursed?" Gunn asked. He didn't receive any glares or smacks though. Fred was even waiting for Anya's answer.  
  
"Anya was a…vengeance demon," Cordy answered as Anya tensed a bit. "Until we destroyed her power center and made her normal, but that was years ago and she's not bitter…right?" Anya covered Cordelia's hand with her own. "I'm upset about the whole Xander thing, but the fact is that if you hadn't made me human…I never would have found…Xander.  
  
"I wasn't really sure where to go, Cordelia. I just had to leave Sunnydale for bit." "I'm glad you came to the hotel, then, Anya." Cordy said with a smile. "Actually," Gunn chimed in. "Me and Groo kind of ran into her when tracking the demon from your vision. Groo said he'd take care of the demon and I brought…Anya back here."  
  
"Once I found out who the two big men worked for…I just needed to see a familiar face." "I understand," Cordy said automatically. "I'd love to listen and be there, Anya, but I'm afraid things are a little crazy here. We can grab a bite, and I'll be happy to listen-"  
  
"No," Anya said quickly. "I…I should have known better than to think your little, low-rate detective agency thing wouldn't be busy." Fred and Gunn exchanged glances at the lack of tact Anya showed them. "I'm sorry," Cordy said after a beat. "You've been through a lot and deserve a better welcome. We'll take a break, get some lunch."  
  
"Lunch?" Fred echoed as if that were the only word she had heard. "Just me and you." Cordy added, totally ignoring Fred. Anya's face brightened. "Good, good. We'll talk about Xander and how men are the scum of the earth," Anya said giddily. "Over lunch."  
  
Cordy grabbed her head suddenly and cried out, "Oh, no!" "Then why did you offer?" Anay asked. "Vision." She hissed. Gunn was there immediately. "There's pain?" he asked in shock. "It's big." Cordelia managed to get out. "Visions?" Anya asked with raised eyebrows.  
  
"Cordelia gets visions of people in trouble from the Powers that be," Fred explained as she watched Cordelia. "They're usually not painful…unless it's big." Cordelia sat straight up with wide eyes. "What'd you see?" Gunn asked gently. She didn't answer. Instead she turned. "Vision?" Wesley asked weakly. She stood and walked over to him. He handed her the small book that was in his hand.  
  
"You found something." Cordelia stated more than asked. Wesley nodded. "Sahjahn," he whispered. "Apparently he feels that what he's done to Angel isn't enough." Cordy finished for him. "How about we play fill in the blanks now?" Gunn asked.  
  
"Looks like we're taking a trip," Cordy told them. "I saw Buffy…I saw all of us." "You saw the future?" Fred asked with raised eyebrows. "The powers show you the future."  
  
"It makes sense," Wesley said. "Sahjahn wants Angel to suffer. He thinks he's destroyed Angel's future, now he'll go after his past." "But what's in the book?" Gunn asked with a furrowed brow. "The only thing I could find on Sahjahn," Wesley answered. "It's not much, but it's something. Angel wasn't his first enemy."  
  
Cordy walked over and handed the book to Gunn. "So, you're going back to Sunnydale?" Anya asked. Wesley raised his eyebrows and looked to Cordelia. "Her and Xander broke up," she told him quietly then turned to Anya. "Right now, it looks like it."  
  
"You can't be serious?" Gunn said as he stepped forward with the book. "We're actually going back to Sunnydale? Are you even sure that Sahjahn and Cordy's vision are connected?" "Even if they're not, I saw us in Sunnydale." Cordy reminded him.  
  
Fred stepped forward as well. "Not to damper the spirits here, but," she started. "Who's going to take care of things in L.A. if Cordy saw us all at Sunnydale." "Actually," Cordelia said slowly. "I didn't see Groo in the vision. Something's telling me he stays."  
  
"Have we thought about telling Angel that he's gonna have a blast from the past?" Gunn asked them. "You know he won't be happy."  
  
"He doesn't have a choice." Cordy told them. 


	2. Chapter 1

1 Past, Present, & Future  
  
By – Colleen "Coll", Forker18@aol.com  
  
Teaser: X-over with BtVS. Cordy gets a vision that sends the gang packing to Sunnydale, knowing that Sahjahn fits into it all but not sure how. Also, they get shocked when each member of the Angel Investigations gang realizes they have to deal with their past.  
  
Genre: Angel: The Series/Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Romance/Suspense/Action  
  
Pairing: Gunn/Fred, Angel/Cordelia  
  
Rating: PG-13 - R  
  
Distribution: Sure, why not, just ask!  
  
Spoilers: Up to Sleep Tight, and makes references to some rumors floating around on the net.  
  
Special Thanks to: All the Forkers (Especially those @ the fanforum board! Love you guys!) and everyone @ FF.net for reviewing my fics!  
  
Part 1  
  
"So, Sunnydale?" Fred asked Wesley as he packed some of the more important books into a box that sat on his desk. "I'm finally going to meet all the people with the weird names." Wesley smiled at that, even though he didn't stop packing. "You've found something," she said suddenly. "Not just about Sahjahn, but about the dimension…didn't you?"  
  
Wesley froze. How did she know him so well? "Are you sure you're not the one with magic powers Fred?" he asked her with raised eyebrows. "You don't need magic powers to see how a persons feeling or what they're thinking when you look into their eyes," she answered. "What did you find out?"  
  
"I found some information on the dimension," he answered slowly. "That's all, but from there, hopefully…" He let himself trail off. 'Hopefully' rung in his head. That's all he had left…hope. When he lifted his head, Fred was watching him. She shook her head as soon as he looked up and half smiled. "What?" he asked her quietly.  
  
"I know that you think you have all this makin up to do," she started off. "The last thing any of us wanna see, Wesley, is for you to get hurt or work yourself senseless." "I'm afraid I don't really understand too well what you're trying to say." He confessed with a furrowed brow.  
  
"Don't work yourself to death. Don't let it consume you."  
  
How did she do it? How could she make him feel this way and still…he let the thought trail off. She's being your friend, Wesley told himself. You know it and she knows it. "Will you promise me that?" she asked quietly. He removed his glasses and rubbed his eyes before slipping them back on and looking back at her waiting face.  
  
"I promise."  
  
It figures that Gunn would choose this moment to enter his office. "Pack up, Fred."  
  
~*~  
  
"Deep breath, Cordy." She told herself as she grabbed the knob to Angel's door and pushed it open. He didn't look up until after a minute. "What's up?" he asked quietly. She felt his pain inside her even more when she was near him, but she had to be strong and summon the bitch inside of her that could put away emotions.  
  
"I had a vision," she said as she walked over and sat on the bed next to him. "Angel…it's Buffy, and it has to do with Sahjahn too. We have to go to Sunnydale." The word hit with a strong impact, she could tell. "What did you see?" he asked after a few silent minutes.  
  
"It looked like the future," she explained. "I saw us, Buffy, Willow, Xander, everyone. It's big Angel, we have to pull ourselves together." "How does Sahjahn fit in?" he asked after another long pause. She was surprised that wasn't the first question out of his mouth. "Wesley found something in a book. He thinks that he's after your past."  
  
"He does?" Angel echoed. This was going to be hard. Wesley and Angel haven't seen each other since…well, since the hospital. She had heard from Fred that Angel had to be pulled away from Wesley. "We have to go now," she said ignoring the bitterness in his tone and the way he wouldn't say Wesley's name. "I can feel it, there's not a lot of time before…well, whatever happens happens."  
  
"Get everyone together then." He told her. It was the nice way of saying I want to be alone. She left without a second thought. With Angel, Cordy knew when to push and when to just back off. With the mention of Sunnydale and Wesley in the same conversation, she knew it was time to leave him with his thoughts.  
  
Cordelia gently shut the door behind her and went downstairs. "Where's Anya?" she asked Gunn when he was the only person she saw in the lobby. She also noticed how he stared at the window in Wesley's office where Fred and him talked.  
  
"Had to make a phone call," He answered when she had come down and plopped down on the couch with him. "You can sense people's feelings, right?" Cordy smiled. "Anyone can sense how she feels about you, Gunn," she assured him truthfully. "Even Wesley."  
  
Anya came out from behind the desk and suddenly stopped in her tracks. "Hey, it's the big man carrying a Carathian head!" she exclaimed. Cordy and Gunn turned to see Groo walking towards them with a smelly, disgusting demon head.  
  
"For you, princess!" Groo said as he bent down on one knee and smiled up at Cory brightly. Cordy put on her best fake smile and grabbed Groo's arm. "We need to talk about something," she said once they were alone. "First, lose the nasty head. Second, I got a big vision. We need to go away for a while, but you have to stay here and protect L.A. while we're gone, do you understand that?"  
  
"The greater Powers that sent you this vision said for me to specifically stay here?" he asked innocently with raised eyebrows. Cordelia looked at him for a moment before nodding, before lying. "Then it shall be done, Princess."  
  
~*~  
  
"So…," Gunn said awkwardly to the broken girl from Sunnydale. "You were a demon. That's…cool." "You think so?" Anya asked in a rather excited tone. "Yeah, sure," he said quickly. "I'm gonna go tell Fred to start getting ready."  
  
"Is she your girlfriend?" Anya asked as soon as Gunn stopped talking. Gunn nodded in response, trying to talk to her as little as possible. "You are aware that Wesley is interested in her, right?"  
  
Gunn smiled at that. From the file he's read…Cordy was a tactless bitch back in Sunnydale. He imagined that Anya was acting very Cordy-like right now. "Yeah, I know," he said quietly. "We've got to get ready."  
  
"Ready for what?"  
  
Gunn stopped again at Lorne's voice. He had been on the streets every night, trying to find something out about Connor and Sahjan. "You don't know already?" Gunn asked the former host with a slight smile. Lorne knew everything.  
  
"I know that we'll all be getting a blast from the past," Lorne answered in his usual cryptic way. "When are we leaving?" He held up his suitcase, letting Gunn know he was ready.  
  
"As soon as possible," Cordy answered as she and Groo came back into the lobby. "Glad to see you're ready." "What kind of demon is he?" Anya blurted out. Lorne raised his eyebrows. "The kind that comes from another dimension," he said as he came forward and offered his hand to Anya. "Lorne. Which Sunnydale chick are you?"  
  
"Anya." She replied. Lorne sighed, "Sorry about what happened, Muffin." Anya furrowed her brow and looked to Cordelia for an explanation. "Lorne can read auras, tell how they're feeling, stuff like that."  
  
Lorne smiled, "I don't mean to startle you, but your emotions are like a flashing neon sign." "Hey, not to sound like a bitch," Cordy started out. "But I'm still feeling this vision, and by my counts everyone's here, so…"  
  
"I'll let Wes and Fred know." Gunn announced. He got a look from Anya. There's nothing between them, he told himself as he opened the door and said, "Pack up, Fred."  
  
~*~  
  
They left an hour after that, because of the whole sun in the sky thing. Fred shut the file that lay open in her lap and put it aside. "Man, I thought the past five years of my life were bad," she commented. "Angel's been to hell and back, literally. Buffy died, twice. Hell, the whole universe completely changed because Cordy made a wish."  
  
"It's a lot to take in at first," he told her. "Don't worry though, you're not alone in the 'I-don't-have-a-clue-who-the-hell-anybody-is' category." She smiled at him, even though his eyes were on the road and she figured he wouldn't be interested in her smiling at him. That's when he smiled back at her, without even taking his eyes off the road.  
  
Fred got tingles; they rippled through her body. "I feel really bad for Angel though," she said after a moment. "I mean, he has to deal with the loss of his son and now he's gonna be thrown into his past."  
  
"Yeah," he agreed quietly. "Hey, listen…um this vision of Cordy's is big and a lot of shit is gonna be going down. I just, you know how I feel about you, right?" Fred raised her eyebrows.  
  
Was the world ending, cause the way Charles was talking, that's how it sounded to her. "Charles, is something wrong?" He got that deer-in-the- headlights kind of look, like she had just cornered him.  
  
"Wrong?" he laughed. "Well," she started slowly. "The way you're talking…it's like the end is coming, or your worried about losing me or something." "Really?" she nodded in response and he continued. "I don't think this is the end of the world, Fred, but I just want you to know how important you are to me and how happy I am when I'm with you."  
  
"I know that, Charles," she said quietly. "But it still…it seems like you're telling me this because something's on your mind." The way he didn't answer her told her she was right. She knew Gunn better though. If something were bothering him, he would tell her.  
  
At least that's how it's been before.  
  
"But, if something was the matter, I know you'd tell me." She continued quickly before he had the chance to respond. She placed her hand over his. The last thing she needed was Gunn thinking she didn't trust him, especially since they were going to be thrown into a situation where they didn't know any of the people involved.  
  
"Believe it." He said as kissed the inside of her palm.  
  
~*~  
  
"Do we, um…have to go this fast?" Anya asked from the backseat. Cordy turned to get a look at Anya. She looked as green as Lorne, who also looked greener than usual. It was Wesley that kept her gaze, though; he hadn't said a word, neither did Angel.  
  
Angel took the off ramp at fifty miles per hour. He breezed through the red light ahead of them and sped up. "Apparently we do." Cordy answered Anya dryly as she turned back around in her seat.  
  
"Trying to set a record on how fast you can get from L.A. to Sunnydale?" Cordy asked with a chuckle. Angel briefly glanced at her before turning back to the road. She turned again, but to look out the rear window. "Good thing I gave Gunn and Fred directions on how to get there."  
  
"If this vision of your is as big as you say it is," Angle cut in sharply. "Then I want to get there and take care of it as fast as I can so we can back to getting Connor." Even though he was being an asshole, it was the most he had said since she got back from vacation.  
  
"How long till we get there?" Lorne asked as he slid on a pair of sunglasses. "With the way speedy's going…an hour," Cordy answered. "And what's with the shades? What are you, a reject from 'Men In Black?' It's night!"  
  
"It's you," Lorne retorted. "All of you and your loud auras! I can't see, I'm blinded. The sooner we get to Sunnydale and deal with everything, the better."  
  
"Amen to that, sister." Cordy agreed. 


	3. Chapter 2

1 Past, Present, & Future  
  
By – Colleen "Coll", Forker18@aol.com  
  
Teaser: X-over with BtVS. Cordy gets a vision that sends the gang packing to Sunnydale, knowing that Sahjahn fits into it all but not sure how. Also, they get shocked when each member of the Angel Investigations gang realizes they have to deal with their past.  
  
Genre: Angel: The Series/Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Romance/Suspense/Action  
  
Pairing: Gunn/Fred, Angel/Cordelia  
  
Rating: PG-13 - R  
  
Distribution: Sure, why not, just ask!  
  
Spoilers: Up to Sleep Tight, and makes references to some rumors floating around on the net.  
  
Special Thanks to: All the Forkers (Especially those @ the fanforum board! Love you guys!) and everyone @ FF.net for reviewing my fics!  
  
Part 2  
  
"There's the sign," Fred said as she looked from the piece of paper in her hand to the "Welcome to Sunnydale" sign. "It says here that we go straight for about a mile before making a left."  
  
"I love how Angel decided to wait for us so we know where the hell we're going." Gunn commented dryly. "I think he just wants to get this over with," Fred said as she watched the scenery fly by. "Plus, being in the car with Wesley must be really hard for him, you know?"  
  
Gunn winced when she mentioned Wes' name. He felt horrible. After all that stuff Fred said about him telling her everything, Gunn had felt bad about not telling her what was going on inside. He was afraid she'd get mad, cause they have been through the jealousy thing before.  
  
"Yeah, I don't really blame Angel though," he said after a minute. "He screwed up and because of that…well, you know." He saw Fred whip around and raise her eyebrows at him. "Angel does have a right to feel betrayed, but Wesley believed he was doing the right thing, Charles," Fred said in defense. "He's a good man with nothing but good intentions."  
  
He exhaled and tightened his grip on the wheel. Let it go, he told himself. Cordy said it too, "Fred is interested in you."  
  
Gunn couldn't help the jealousy though. Fred was an incredible woman, and Gunn was amazed that she had liked him as much as he liked her. Her and Wes just had so much more in common, he always wondered what he could offer her.  
  
But he couldn't worry about that now. Gunn needed to be strong for Fred, especially since their current situation was completely alien to them. The last thing he needed was jealousy to blind his judgment.  
  
"Yeah," he said quietly. "I know. Wes always does the right thing."  
  
"Hey," she said as she grabbed his hand and laced her fingers with his. "Are you sure everything's OK? You seem…it's like your mind is somewhere else." This was it, the time to tell her what he's been thinking, how he's so scared that she's gonna realize she can do so much better than him.  
  
"My mind's here, with you," he answered lowly. "My heart, too." She smiled, but then her face fell. "Crap." "What is it?" he asked immediately. "We just passed Revello Drive." Fred answered as Gunn cut the wheel and turned down the street where Buffy lived.  
  
~*~  
  
Anya had to get Cordelia alone. If there was one person she could get to make a wish on Xander, it was Cordy. She had done it before, after all. Anya remembered the joy of the chaos that that wish caused. That may only be because that was the last case she took, but still it's a hard feeling to forget.  
  
Sometimes, Anya wondered if it was the right thing…becoming a vengeance demon again. She knew though, now, what all those women she helped were feeling. The ache in her heart was always there, reminding her that Xander broke her heart.  
  
How was it though that she was still completely in love with him?  
  
"There they are." Cordelia announced. Anya, along with the rest of the people she was with, turned to see the truck that belonged to the first big man they called Gunn. "It's about damn time." Angel muttered. It was the first thing Anya had heard him say since they were in the car.  
  
"How hard is it to follow directions?" Angel remarked as soon as Gunn and Fred got out of the truck. Gunn glared at the vampire. Anya noted that Gunn was really the only one that wouldn't take any crap from Angel.  
  
"A little hard when you have no idea where the hell you're going," Gunn answered as Fred grabbed his hand, and obvious sign for him to calm down. "Thanks for waiting for us."  
  
Angel glared back as Fred looked around, "Ya'll weren't waiting for us before going in, were you?" "Actually, Buffy's not at home at the moment." Cordy answered. "Anya says she'll be back any minute."  
  
"Angel?"  
  
The group turned and saw Willow. She looked at each one of them, a confused look spread over her face. "Willow, hi," Cordy said as she walked up and hugged Xander's best friend. "How are you?"  
  
"Good," she said after a minute. "Good, just…wondering what you're doing here. Not that, you all being here is a bad thing…but normally when you come here or we go there, it's bad."  
  
"It's understandable," Wesley said from where he stood. "In the past…things haven't always turned out good." "Unfortunately, that maybe the case this time." Cordy commented. Willow gave the group another look and her eyes went wide. "Anya?" she said in a shocked tone. "You're here, with Angel and Cordelia and Wesley and other people I don't know…including a green guy."  
  
"Lorne," he said as he came up with an outstretched hand. Willow took it with an awkward smile. "Hi," she answered. "Um, and Anya…are you OK?" Anya merely nodded. She didn't want Willow to think something was different. Letting Willow and everyone else believe that she was just still upset was the best way to not getting discovered.  
  
And Cordelia was her ticket to making Xander pay for the ache that would forever linger in her heart.  
  
~*~  
  
"She came up to see us," Cordy explained in a low tone to Willow. "She's still pretty upset about what happened with Xander. Willow nodded, "I don't blame her." Cordy nodded. "Oh, hey, while we're on the subject," she said suddenly. "Thanks for the invite to the wedding. Me, Angel, and Wesley really appreciated that."  
  
Poor Willow opened her mouth, trying to make some word, but Cordy knew that she had packed the poor girl in a corner. Cordy smiled, she liked the fact that if she wanted to, she could still have that power to make others feel like they were backed into a corner they couldn't get out of.  
  
"Just kidding."  
  
Willow laughed as a sign of relief. "Where's Buffy?" Angel asked harshly. Cordelia licked her lips. She didn't blame the guy, he wanted to get this over with cause a lot was going on and a lot has changed in their lives. Buffy and Angel weren't the same people they were before, and that was something they all had to realize. "She's getting something from the car," Willow said with a furrowed brow. "Um, what's going on?"  
  
"That's a great question." Buffy said.  
  
"Hey, Buffy." Cordy said awkwardly.  
  
~*~  
  
Fred clutched to Gunn's hand. This was all so odd. Especially thinking that the girl's house she was in used to be dead. "So, Cordelia had another vision," Buffy called as she brought the grocery bags she was carrying into the kitchen. "Something about me?"  
  
"About all of us, actually." Angel called back. He dropped the animosity he had been showing to everyone. "What exactly did you see, Cordelia?" Buffy asked as she came back and crossed her arms. The way Buffy was talking, it made Fred nervous. It sounded like she had a grudge or something.  
  
"I don't know what's coming," Cordy told her. "I just know that we're all there." "Everyone?" Willow asked from where she sat. Cordy nodded. "So, that's it," Buffy asked in a cool tone. "It's just us, there's nothing bigger going on?"  
  
Everyone from L.A. just exchanged glances. It didn't go unnoticed by Buffy. "What are all the looks for?" Angel looked at each of them, before saying, "It's best if I tell you alone, Buffy."  
  
With that, the two former lovers left the living room, leaving the rest in an awkward silence. "What's he going to tell her?" Willow asked.  
  
~*~  
  
"Oh, my God," Buffy whispered. "You didn't think about telling me that when we met?" "I didn't know then." Angel told her softly. "I'm sorry…I know what it's like to lose someone that means so much…" She tried to finish, but thinking about her mom was still too much for her.  
  
"Anyway, this demon, Sahjahn, he has something to do with all of this," he told her. "At least that's what Wesley thinks." Buffy noted how Angel said her former watcher's name. She had to admit though, what Wesley did was really stupid, but it was also coming from Angel's side…and Angel was hurting and looking for someone to place the blame on.  
  
"So, anything new in these neck of the woods?" he asked her, yanking Buffy from her thoughts. Flashes of Spike entered her head after Angel asked that question. If Angel ever found out what they had…"Had" being the operative word, he'd kill Spike in an instant.  
  
Buffy shook her head, to answer Angel's question and to get the thoughts out of her head. "It's been quiet, except for a couple things, but so far there's no big bad." "That's unusual." Angel commented. "Yeah," Buffy chuckled. "Maybe you're bringing the big bad with you."  
  
They looked at each other for a while; a lot longer than Buffy liked. "You know, I've got to tell you," Angel said. "This is the most I've talked about what happened to…Connor…since it's happened. Talking to you has calmed me down." "I wonder why." Buffy thought out loud.  
  
Angel looked up, a look of embarrassment spread over his face. "Oh, I know why," he said awkwardly. "It's cause me and you, Buffy, we've been through hell. I guess it's a misery loves company kinda deal."  
  
"Makes sense," Buffy agreed. "So, other than that…what's been going on in L.A.? New players I see." Angel nodded. He hadn't planned on having this many people in his group, especially after the loss of Doyle. Then Wes came, and Gunn, and Lorne, now Fred…he hadn't thought about the fact that he might lose someone until he lost his son.  
  
"Yeah," he said in a distracted tone. "Lorne, the demon, he's a good guy. Helps you figure out things. He says we're all gonna have to deal with our pasts during this trip. If you ever need advice, cryptic or not, he's your demon." "I'll keep that in mind," Buffy told him with a slight smile. "Angel, despite everything that's happened in the past…it's good seeing you again and having you back in Sunnydale."  
  
"I know the feeling."  
  
~*~  
  
"Oh, wow," Willow said for the millionth time since Cordy had told the Connor story. "I didn't know vampires could…and Angel must be…oh, wow." "Connor was part of a prophecy. We believed," Wesley told her but stopped a second after saying his last word. "We 'believe' Connor has a part to play."  
  
"Does that have to do with your vision?" Willow asked Cordy. "Not sure yet," Cordy answered. "But I can feel it…the Powers that Be are implying that Sahjahn and Connor are a part of this."  
  
"Cordelia?"  
  
Willow turned; Dawn and Tara were home, and right behind them was…"Anya?" Xander said. He began to step forward, but Anya was up in an instant and out of the living room. "And Cordelia along with a bunch of strangers, one of whom s green."  
  
"Hey Xander." Cordy replied. "We kinda got a situation guys." Willow said immediately. "Wait," Xander said as he looked at Wesley, then at Cordelia. "If they're here…where's Angel?"  
  
"He's right here, Xand," Buffy said as her and Angel made their way downstairs. "We all need to figure out what's going on…now." 


	4. Chapter 3

1 Past, Present, & Future  
  
By – Colleen "Coll", Forker18@aol.com  
  
Teaser: X-over with BtVS. Cordy gets a vision that sends the gang packing to Sunnydale, knowing that Sahjahn fits into it all but not sure how. Also, they get shocked when each member of the Angel Investigations gang realizes they have to deal with their past.  
  
Genre: Angel: The Series/Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Romance/Suspense/Action  
  
Pairing: Gunn/Fred, Angel/Cordelia  
  
Rating: PG-13 - R  
  
Distribution: Sure, why not, just ask!  
  
Spoilers: Up to Sleep Tight, and makes references to some rumors floating around on the net.  
  
Special Thanks to: All the Forkers (Especially those @ the fanforum board! Love you guys!) and everyone @ FF.net for reviewing my fics!  
  
1.1 Part 3  
  
"So, is this an end of the world kind of deal?" Xander asked as he slammed his book shut.  
  
"We're not sure." Angel answered without even looking up at him. Xander shook his head; he wasn't surprised that his hatred of Angel hadn't died down.  
  
"All I know is that my vision told us to be here." Cordy told him as Angel passed her his book. Xander noticed how their hands purposely touched and sort of lingered before Cordelia flipped through the crisp pages.  
  
What was that about?  
  
Not that it should bother him. Although he did have certain rights as the ex-boyfriend, despite how long ago he and Cordelia happened. It was times like this, though, when he missed Anya. She has taken off at the sight of him. Angel's gang let him know that before they came to Sunnydale, she went to L.A. cause she was so upset.  
  
And it was all his fault.  
  
No empty books available for him to look through. Buffy's living room was packed. Angel's group and the Scoobies were haphazardly placed in the room, silence lingering around each and every individual.  
  
Xander took this moment to look over Angel's group again, at least the new people. The green guy, Lorne, obviously was the first one he noticed. Xander liked the demon though…he was a funny guy.  
  
The second was the big, bald black guy who was quiet and looked pissed off all the time. In one of his big hands was a small, torn, ancient book. In the other, a smaller hand that belonged to the other girl in Angel's group, Fred.  
  
Cute girl, but judging by the way Gunn held her hand, and by the way he kind of softened when she was with him, Xander knew they were deep. The way he and Anya used to be.  
  
Then, of course, there was the pencil dick, ex-watcher, Wesley…who looked like shit. Then again, after what happened to the guy, Xander understood why. That's when his eyes fell back on Cordelia.  
  
God, how she'd changed. She looked older, but in that mature kind of way. She had stopped thinking about herself…for the most part, and, if it were possible, she became more beautiful than before.  
  
She was also part demon now, and she had visions; visions that brought her and the Fang Gang to Sunnydale for God knows what. "Oh shit." Cordy muttered. All the heads lifted up and looked at Cordelia.  
  
"Let's try and keep the cursing to a minimum with Dawn around." Buffy commented. Dawn glared at her older sister as Cordelia screamed and grabbed her head in pain. "Cordy!"  
  
Angel went into full protective mode. Buffy stood and watched with a shocked expression. "What do you see?" Wesley asked gently. The way L.A. crew looked after Cordelia and waited patiently told him, all of them, that they had done this before.  
  
"Another dimension…" she choked out. "Ah! Not the dimension…Sahjahn… Pylea…the books…" "God bless you." Xander said as Angel lifted Cordy to her feet. "Did you just say Pylea?" Fred asked. Gunn's arm wrapped around her shoulder protectively after her question, and, if it was possible, Lorne looked greener than usual.  
  
"I'm not sure, but the books…" Wesley must have been one step ahead of her. He grabbed a duffel bag and pulled out three big books with pictures of animals on them. "OK, there needs to be a shit load of fill in the blanks now." Buffy said as she crossed her arms over her chest.  
  
Dawn looked up, "What did you say about cursing?"  
  
Buffy glared at Dawn before waiting for her answer. "It's my home dimension," Lorne answered slowly, shakily. "It's hell. Humans are, well were, treated like animals. It's violent and barbaric and completely devoid of music."  
  
"More importantly," Wesley piped in. "We found these books. The covers are 'Wolf', 'Ram', and 'Hart'…a law firm in L.A. that's always given us trouble." "The books also open up the portals to the Pylean hell dimension. Maybe even others," Fred explained as Wesley handed her one. "The words in the book, well they're not words. They're consonant representations of a mathematical transfiguration formula. Anyway, when there's a hot spot, you say the words in the right order and bam! You're in another dimension."  
  
Xander watched her, fully aware that his mouth was hanging open. Everyone else was looking at her the same way. "Well, that's an obvious statement." Xander said after a minute, fulfilling his duty as the comedy relief of the group.  
  
"Is your vision telling us we have to go back?" Wesley asked as he placed the other two books on a nearby table. Cordy shook her head. She looked kind of spaced out. "I think it's telling me that…something from Pylea is coming here."  
  
"Oh, God." Fred whispered. "Is there anything else?" Angel asked her gently. She nodded. "I saw a magic store."  
  
~*~  
  
"So…the store's a hot spot?"  
  
"A big one." Cordy answered Buffy. The group walked up to the building and Angel looked from the sky to his watch. "This is where I'm going to be for the rest of the day." Cordelia looked up at the sky. Dawn was coming.  
  
They stopped outside the Magic Box; waiting for Xander to fumble through his pockets for the keys Anya had given him. "Just to be clear," Fred started off nervously. "We're not going to Pylea, right?"  
  
Cordy didn't know what to say, cause she honestly didn't know what was going to happen, but she felt for Fred. Cordelia had been in Pylea for a few days and it was horrible for her; Fred had been there for five years.  
  
"Why are you so jumpy about…Py…what-cha-ma-call-it?" Dawn blurted out without a second thought. Buffy shoved her sister behind her. That's, however, what Cordelia admired about Dawn, she spoke her mind. "Sorry about that." Buffy offered to Fred, taking into consideration that Pylea must be a sensitive subject for Fred.  
  
Fred nodded. "Thanks," she said quietly. "It's just…I was there for five years. It's not a good place." The Scoobies stopped fro a second and took Fred in. Cordy joined them, admiring how much Fred has grown since they brought her back.  
  
"Got em." Xander announced as he opened the door. He screamed automatically and stepped back outside. Cordelia gasped as well when she saw the gun that was pointed at his face.  
  
"Try and steal from my store and watch what happens to your face." Anya said. They all breathed a sigh of relief. "Ann, it's me," Xander said. "Put the gun down." Anya's face fell, then suddenly filled with rage as the gun pointed at his chest. "You're not welcome here."  
  
"Relax, Anya," Buffy said calmly as she pushed her way into the store. "There's too much going on to be petty, got it?" The rest filed into the store, past Xander and Anya. When the last person passed, Anya lowered her gun and looked away from Xander.  
  
"OK, we're at the hot spot, now what?" Buffy asked anxiously. Cordy looked up at the slayer with raised eyebrows, but Buffy was looking at Lorne who was staring right back. "What are you doing?" she asked him slowly.  
  
The ex-host blinked then looked away. "Sorry," he said instantly. "Sometimes people's auras are so bright, I can't help but read them."  
  
Buffy didn't press, she looked away. Cordy noted that Lorne wasn't looking away just as easily as Buffy did. Fred had her laptop out and running while skimming through the Pylean portal books.  
  
"If these books open up portals to other dimensions, besides Pylea, we may be able to track down Sahjahn." Wesley said as he leaned on the back of Fred's chair and looked at her screen. Gunn moved a little closer to Fred too. Uh-oh, Cordy thought.  
  
Dawn, however, was looking over Wesley's shoulders at the "words" in the Pylean books. Krv Drpglr pwlz chkwrt-"  
  
"NO!" Everyone from L.A. shouted. Dawn backed away quickly as Wesley grabbed the book protectively. "No one reads the words out loud," he said as he ignored the look Fred gave him for calling the things words. "We're in a hot spot and the portal might open if you say them." "Which is bad." Fred added.  
  
"Very bad." Lorne agreed grimly.  
  
Silence now filled the room, aside from the keys clicking away, courtesy of Fred. Wesley had placed the book back down on the circular table. He was fingering through the pages when Fred suddenly stopped typing. She removed her glasses and glanced at the screen again. "What is it?" Buffy asked.  
  
"Click." She whispered.  
  
The door to the shop suddenly burst open and Cordelia gasped at the sight in front of her. "Spike." Angel growled. Spike's mouth hung open as he looked over the group, especially Angel.  
  
"Bloody hell." Spike muttered. 


	5. Chapter 4

1 Past, Present, & Future  
  
By – Colleen "Coll", Forker18@aol.com  
  
Teaser: X-over with BtVS. Cordy gets a vision that sends the gang packing to Sunnydale, knowing that Sahjahn fits into it all but not sure how. Also, they get shocked when each member of the Angel Investigations gang realizes they have to deal with their past.  
  
Genre: Angel: The Series/Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Romance/Suspense/Action  
  
Pairing: Gunn/Fred, Angel/Cordelia  
  
Rating: PG-13 - R  
  
Distribution: Sure, why not, just ask!  
  
Spoilers: Up to Sleep Tight, and makes references to some rumors floating around on the net.  
  
Special Thanks to: All the Forkers (Especially those @ the fanforum board! Love you guys!) and everyone @ FF.net for reviewing my fics!  
  
1.1 Part 4  
  
"What's he doing here?" Spike and Angel asked in unison. They looked at each other with wide eyes. "Me?" they questioned together. "You shouldn't be here!" Buffy looked between her former, vampire lovers. The way they were both kinda jealous and talking at the same time made her want to laugh out loud.  
  
"Something big's coming, Spike," Buffy said as she stepped forward. "Cordelia has visions from the Powers that Be. They sent Angel and company here." Spike looked at the unfamiliar faces from L.A., then stopped when he looked at Lorne. "Bloody hell," Spike whispered. "The Host."  
  
Angel whipped his head to Lorne. "Spike knows you?" "William?" Lorne said as face twisted in thought. "Vampire with a chip…right?" Spike nodded as Angel's brow furrowed. "Chip?" he echoed.  
  
"Yep," Spike answered. "No better than you are, Angel. Can't hurt people; demons are another story." "Why isn't he dead?" Angel asked, turning to Buffy. Everyone was shocked by his question.  
  
"Hey!" Spike shouted. He began to advance on Angel, but Buffy met him half way there. "Back off Spike!" she shouted. He stopped and held his gaze on her for a long time. The pain was still in his eyes, along with the desire. "I see how it is." He muttered. "Your old honey is back and now you leave Spike out in the cold." Buffy glared at Spike before she looked away; turned to Angel to be more exact.  
  
She took in a breath and said, "He hasn't given me a reason to kill him. All demons aren't bad…you should know that better than anyone." Angel looked away. The conversation was over for him, just by one simple movement.  
  
Buffy hated that.  
  
"Sorry to interrupt, but I think someone has to get to school." Tara said pointedly. Buffy nodded, "She's right. Swing by home and get your stuff Dawn. Tara, can you take her?" "No problem."  
  
"Wait," Dawn whined. "I can't go to school…there's bad stuff going on, you know?" "That doesn't get you out of school." Buffy said to her sister. "Be careful." Willow said to Tara as she got up and embraced her.  
  
"You be careful too, Dawn," Buffy said as she threw her arm over her shoulder. "If it was really bad, I promise you wouldn't be going to school." Dawn rolled her eyes at Buffy. Tara then linked arms with Dawn and led her out of the magic store.  
  
"So, what's the nasty beastie?" Spike asked after a minute. All eyes turned to Fred. Spike's entrance hadn't seemed to faze her. "Fred," Gunn said gently as he placed his hand on her shoulder. "What is it, baby?"  
  
"Click." She repeated slowly as she reread what was on her computer screen. "What in the bloody hell is she saying 'click' for?" Spike exclaimed. Fred looked up at him then back. "The dimensions," she said quietly. "The books…they open more. A lot more." "What are we talking?" Angel asked her. "Other dimensions."  
  
Fred snorted as she put her glasses back on. "Yeah, and other time periods, as well as other time periods on other dimensions," she said as she read off her screen. "Some dimensions…they go out into the universe, like on other planets…we didn't put nearly enough effort into these books as we should've."  
  
Buffy looked at Cordelia. "You said something from…Py…mcklean…was coming here," she reminded the Seer. "Do you still feel it?" Cordelia slowly nodded. "Eureka," Wesley muttered. "Sahjahn."  
  
"What is with you…L.A. people and weird things you say?" Spike commented from the sidelines.  
  
"What about Sahjahn?" Angel asked immediately, as if it was the only thing he heard…which it probably was. "He may come from Pylea," Wesley started. "Fred's discovery…if we figure out how it can be done, we will know how Sahjahn moves through dimensions. We may even discover why he's out to get you."  
  
"And find Holtz and Connor." Fred added. Her face showed she immediately regretted it. Buffy looked at Angel. He was always good at hiding how he felt, but Buffy looked at his eyes; that's where she saw the pain that Fred caused just by saying Connor's name. Buffy mourned with him, even though she never even saw Angel's son.  
  
She would have liked to, though.  
  
"Who's Connor?" Spike asked. "And didn't Holtz die? And why is everyone so quiet?"  
  
Angel leapt forward. He was on top of Spike in an instant, beating the shit out of him. Buffy charged forward and grabbed Angel, he wasn't budging until Gunn came over and grabbed him too. Angel was vamped out, as well as Spike, when they finally got Angel off.  
  
"He doesn't know, Angel," Buffy said soothingly. "Take it easy." Spike rose to his feet and stared at Angel. The look of jealousy on his face was easy to read. Angel wasn't paying attention to Buffy though. His gaze wasn't moving from Spike.  
  
"Yeah, take it easy Angel." Spike commented with a smile.  
  
Luckily, Buffy and Gunn had a solid grip on Angel. Buffy looked at his hands, he had a stake out. She grabbed it and threw it across the room. "Spike, don't." Buffy said firmly. "What? He just bloody shows up in town and you're gonna take his side now?" Spike shouted. "I'm not gonna hold my tongue just because your old flame is here.  
  
"I just wanna know who the bloody hell Connor is and why every time I say Connor, Angel goes crazy."  
  
"Spike," Buffy started through gritted teeth. "You might want to shut your mouth." "Why?" Spike asked with a cocky smile. "Did I hit a soft spot?"  
  
"Shut the fuck up about Connor," Cordelia said quietly. "Or I'll kill you myself." Whoa. Buffy watched as Cordelia whipped out a crossbow and aimed it straight at Spike's heart. If she would fire, it'd be a direct hit.  
  
Buffy looked to Spike. Her mind wandered, wondering what would happen if Angel got loose or if Cordelia fired. How would she feel? "I'm all for that one." Xander commented as Willow smacked him in the arm.  
  
"Connor is Angel's son, Spike," Buffy whispered. "Maybe it's be a good idea if you not talk about him." She could see the questions written all over his face, but he didn't speak.  
  
Angel had morphed back by the time Buffy and Gunn had let go. She shot Gunn a grateful look and he smiled back and nodded. "Holtz was brought back by a demon who's out to get me, Sahjahn," Angel whispered. "He took my son and leapt into a portal that leads to a hell dimension."  
  
Spike swallowed hard. Even though he'd never admit it, he felt bad; and that meant something to her. Before she could say anything more to him, he walked by the group and into the back room where she trained; he wasn't going anywhere though, the sun was out.  
  
It was a beautiful day.  
  
~*~  
  
"What are we supposed to do now?" Willow asked after a bit. "Wait for this Demon guy to come here from Py…creama?"  
  
"It looks like that's all we can do." Fred said as she looked through the books. She looked up and noticed Wesley's attention had gone to the magic shop's books. "You have quite an amazing collection here." He said as he turned to Buffy.  
  
She nodded. "Wow, I guess some people never change," she said with a little laugh. "They're…uh, they're Giles'. He left-" "Left?" Angel asked. Buffy nodded. "He went back to London…a little bit after…we met that time."  
  
"You have been functioning without your watcher for all this time?" Wesley asked as he pulled a huge book from the shelf. "Hey," Xander said in mock offense. "We have had years of training in the…researching…event!"  
  
Fred smiled. She liked Xander, even in the worst he tried to brighten the mood and uplift the group's spirits. She felt a hand kneading her shoulder. Gunn was looking down at her. She smiled, but he wasn't doing it to be nice…well, he was, but he did it to let Xander, everyone, know that she was his girl.  
  
It bothered her.  
  
She liked Gunn so much and hated it when he wasn't around, but when he was possessive and jealous it made her angry. Unfortunately, she felt very…bad about thinking about her relationship while all this Sahjahn/Angel/Connor stuff was going on.  
  
"Well, I'm impressed," Wesley said as he slipped his glasses on and opened the book he pulled out. "And shocked. Giles cared a great deal for you, Buffy. I don't understand why he left."  
  
Buffy was going to respond, but Angel spoke up. "How do you know Spike?" Angel asked Lorne with a furrowed brow. Buffy smiled and nodded at Angel's interruption. "He came in one time." Lorne answered with a shrug.  
  
"What was he asking for?"  
  
Lorne shifted in his seat. "Sorry Angle cakes," he said as he braced himself for a blow up. "You know that's top secret info." Angel nodded and hung his head. Fred could practically see his mind working overtime.  
  
There was so much going on for him, and she was determined to help him in any way she could. It was the least she could do. Angel did, after all, take her under him and he had taken care of her.  
  
"Call him." Cordelia shouted. "Call…?" Buffy asked slowly with raised eyebrows. "Giles," Cordy said as she rubbed her temples. "They're telling me he needs to be here."  
  
"I don't think you've ever gotten this many visions, Cordelia." Wesley observed. "Yeah, tell me about it," she scoffed. "And some of them hurt." "Must be big." Gunn said.  
  
"So, I have to call Giles and tell him to get here?" Buffy asked with raised eyebrows. "Which means whatever will happen won't happen till Giles gets here." Angel said quietly. "I'm not sure about that," Cordelia corrected. "Just call him."  
  
"And tell him what?" Buffy asked as she looked though a drawer behind the counter for Giles' number.  
  
"It's the end of the world." 


	6. Chapter 5

1 Past, Present, & Future  
  
By – Colleen "Coll", Forker18@aol.com  
  
Teaser: X-over with BtVS. Cordy gets a vision that sends the gang packing to Sunnydale, knowing that Sahjahn fits into it all but not sure how. Also, they get shocked when each member of the Angel Investigations gang realizes they have to deal with their past.  
  
Genre: Angel: The Series/Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Romance/Suspense/Action  
  
Pairing: Gunn/Fred, Angel/Cordelia  
  
Rating: PG-13 - R  
  
Distribution: Sure, why not, just ask!  
  
Spoilers: Up to Sleep Tight, and makes references to some rumors floating around on the net.  
  
Special Thanks to: All the Forkers (Especially those @ the fanforum board! Love you guys!) and everyone @ FF.net for reviewing my fics!  
  
1.1 Part 5  
  
Dawn was pissed, and she had every reason to be.  
  
At least, that's what she thought. Angel, Cordelia, Wesley, and a bunch of new people come into town saying the end of the world is coming and Buffy's first thought…  
  
"Go to school, Dawn."  
  
How retarded was that? She drew another dagger that stabbed Buffy's stick body. She wished this drawing were real…like she had the power to draw a doodle and have it come true. "Dawn?" her teacher called loudly. "Are we boring you?"  
  
Dawn straightened up and closed her notebook. "No," she said quietly. "Sorry." She hasted this, but at least school was almost over. Still, she hated how Buffy always got her out of the way when all the cool stuff was going on. Plus, it's kinda cool to see Buffy squirm now that Angel's back in town.  
  
Angel was so hot, but the fact that he was a vampire always ran through her head when she thought about him. Especially after him and Buffy…you know, and he turned all psycho killer.  
  
It was cool seeing Cordelia again. She never took any crap from Buffy or Xander or Willow or Giles…anyone. Man, she so wanted to be at the magic box. Soon enough, Buffy and everyone else would have to realize that she was growing up and she was mature enough to handle all the demon stuff.  
  
Dawn gasped as the room suddenly filled with gusting wind. Papers flew everywhere and then a bright light came from the front of the room. Dawn's teacher backed away as the blackboard was distorted and a portal appeared.  
  
Nothing was being sucked into the portal…that was good, right?  
  
Wrong. Something came out of the portal; a couple demon things that looked like rabid dogs and a man. Well, not a man, but a guy who wore a red robe and had really, really bad skin. He smiled when the portal closed and looked around the classroom.  
  
His pale eyes stopped on Dawn. "Well," he said with a chuckle. "This must be my lucky day."  
  
~*~  
  
All the conversation going on around her seemed like a blur. Skip had told her no pain, and she hadn't felt any since she'd become demonized. These visions though, everything that had to do with Sahjahn and the Sunnydale gang…it made her feel like she was vibrating.  
  
She sat in the back, trying to get away from anyone from Sunnydale. She felt the visions when she was near them, and it hurt. Buffy had been trying to calling Giles for the whole day, but it seemed like a month went by from Cordy's point of view.  
  
"He said the watcher's council has contacted him," Buffy said when she hung up the phone. "Told him their sources are saying something big is happening. He said he's leaving first thing in the morning"  
  
"Good," Wesley replied as he pulled another book from the shelf. "Giles' texts on other dimensions are quite impressive. Perhaps he knows a bit more than us on dimensions."  
  
Their voices were echoing. Cordy rubbed her temples as Fred set a glass of water and some aspirin down in front of her. She looked up at Fred and forced a small smile on her face. "Thanks." She whispered.  
  
Fred nodded. "You know, we haven't seen you this bad from the visions since you're birthday," she commented. "You're not in trouble again, you know physically, are you?"  
  
With a smile, Cordy shook her head. "I've learned my lesson," she told the smaller girl. "We're a family and I'm totally honest with you guys." "I know that, silly," Fred said with a smile. "But, you know, you're just starting to feel pain. You don't think the Powers are trying to tell you something, do you?"  
  
Cordy swallowed the pills and chased them with two gulps of water. "Oh, they're trying to tell me something all right," Cordy scoffed. "But…there's just too much, you know? When I'm around Buffy and them…I feel everything all over again."  
  
"I'm sorry," Fred said quietly. "You've done so much for me and I wish…well, that I could do more for you than just…give you aspirin." "You are," Cordy said. "You're giving me friendship. Plus, you know, it's nice to have a another female in the office."  
  
Fred smiled and Cordelia started feeling a little better. That's about the time when Gunn climbed the stairs to the loft. "Buffy asked me to pick up Dawn," he told Fred. "You wanna come." She nodded, and Cordelia marveled at their relationship.  
  
She still looked at them in awe, cause she never saw that coming. She'd also look at Wesley and see the pain in his eyes. Hell, she felt it too. Cordelia also felt Fred and Gunn's happiness, their love, and she knew it was the right thing.  
  
~*~  
  
"Buffy said we can't miss it," Fred said as she folded up the piece of paper with the directions on it. "Dawn waits outside for someone to pick her up." Gunn nodded, but he wasn't really paying attention.  
  
Why was he doing this to himself? Driving himself crazy over something that will never happen? "Charles, I'm going to ask you again, and you better not lie to me," Fred said quietly. "Are you OK?"  
  
Gunn sighed. She knew him too damn well; it scared him a bit but he loved it. "I'm fine." He answered the same question with the same answer…again. "I told you not to lie to me." She said quietly.  
  
"I'm not lying." Gunn shot back. "Yes you are," Fred said forcefully. "Something is obviously the matter and I just wanna know what. I care about you and it scares me when you lie to me about what you're feeling."  
  
He looked over at her. Fred's eyes were shut in frustration, and her hand rubbed her temple. "The last thing I want is for you to be scared." He said as he turned back to the road.  
  
"Then tell me what's going on," she whispered. "Make a left."  
  
He did. "I'm sacred," Gunn confessed quietly. "I'm scared that one day you're gonna wake up and realize how much better you can do than me." A minute went by without any words being spoken. Gunn risked a glance at Fred.  
  
Her eyes were glued on him. "Charles." She said quietly. "What's next?" he said sharply. Fred sighed and looked down at the directions. "Right at the next light," she read. "Charles, I-"  
  
"Then we just wait outside, right?" he interrupted. He was too afraid of her response. What if he gave her an idea? Made her see that…she could do better? "Charles," she said more forcefully. "Listen to me."  
  
"I don't want to listen, Fred," Gunn replied. "I want to pick up Dawn and then get ba-" "I love you!" she interrupted. Gunn's hand slipped from the wheel, as he turned his gaze to her, and his truck went into the other lane.  
  
"Charles!"  
  
Gunn grabbed the wheel and jerked it to the side of the road. "What did you say?" he asked breathlessly. Fred had a big smile on her face. "I love you," she repeated without fear. "I love you and I could never do better than you. If anything…you could do better than me-"  
  
"I could never do better than you," he responded right away. "I love you too."  
  
She reached across the cab of the truck and kissed him. He pushed her back after kissing back for a bit and asked, "You really love me? Me?" Fred kissed him gently in response. "Of course."  
  
Gunn smiled and looked up. "Oh, shit."  
  
Fred followed his gaze. "Oh God." She whispered.  
  
They found the school…and chaos reigned. 


	7. Chapter 6

1 Author's Note – I just wanna clarify that there will be some A/C in this. I'm updating the summary so it says: F/G, minor A/C. When I write a fic, I include all the couples that I pair up. Also, while Romance is my main genre, it will not consume this story.  
  
Thanks so much for the reviews, and I want to apologize for the shortness of this Chapter and the lack of updating. School's been kinda hectic and I'm suffering from a bit of writer's bock…but I will finish this story.  
  
Remember, this is not a primary A/C story, sorry for misleading people cause I had no intention. For future reference, all my Angel fics are primarily F/G.  
  
Thanks again to those who have waited patiently, the updates for this fic won't be that long anymore. Enjoy…  
  
-Coll  
  
2  
  
3 Past, Present, & Future  
  
By – Colleen "Coll", Forker18@aol.com  
  
Teaser: X-over with BtVS. Cordy gets a vision that sends the gang packing to Sunnydale, knowing that Sahjahn fits into it all but not sure how. Also, they get shocked when each member of the Angel Investigations gang realizes they have to deal with their past.  
  
Genre: Angel: The Series/Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Romance/Suspense/Action  
  
Pairing: Gunn/Fred, Angel/Cordelia  
  
Rating: PG-13 - R  
  
Distribution: Sure, why not, just ask!  
  
Spoilers: Up to Sleep Tight, and makes references to some rumors floating around on the net.  
  
Special Thanks to: All the Forkers (Especially those @ the fanforum board! Love you guys!) and everyone @ FF.net for reviewing my fics!  
  
3.1 Part 6  
  
"What the hell is going on?"  
  
Gunn grabbed Fred's hand as she hopped out of the truck. He shut the door and ran to the back of his truck. He took out his makeshift battle-ax and handed Fred a crossbow. "I don't know." Gunn answered as his eyes returned to the building.  
  
Flames shot out through some windows of the school while people ran out, demons chasing after them. "Call Angel," he said as they began to walk towards the chaos. "It's light out…tell him we need Buffy, and a lot of weapons."  
  
Fred took out her cell phone and dialed as a group of kids ran past them, nearly knocking them over. "Don't go in there," one of them called back. "It's hell!" A demon chased a bunch more people out the front door. It growled viciously when it spotted Gunn and Fred heading towards the entrance.  
  
"You stay out here." Gunn told Fred as his eyes remained fixed on the guard demon. The phone lowered from Fred's ear. "There is no way I'm letting you go in alone to get killed." She said firmly.  
  
Gunn grabbed her by the shoulders and looked her in the eyes. "If you come in, I'll be so worried about you, we'll both end up dead," he said calmly. "Wait out here…I'm gonna find Dawn. I love you."  
  
Fred wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed him. Gunn pulled back almost as soon as she kissed him and ran forward. The guard demon was dead in an instant, and Angel picked up his cell phone.  
  
"Something happened at the school." She said into the receiver.  
  
~*~  
  
Buffy held the ax firmly in her hands. As soon as Xander pulled up to Dawn's school, she was out of the car and in the building. "There's Fred." Cordelia exclaimed as the car pulled up to the building.  
  
"Minus Gunn." Wesley added. Xander killed the engine and Buffy was out. "What happened." She demanded from the small girl immediately. Fred's eyes were wide. "We pulled up and…" she was so upset she couldn't speak, and Buffy couldn't wait.  
  
"He went in without me." Buffy heard Fred say after she passed by Fred. Buffy turned. "Gunn?" she asked. Fred nodded slowly and Buffy cursed as bolted to the school. Judging by the dead demon at the door, Gunn could take care of himself.  
  
But only for a bit, he was human after all.  
  
Demon corpses littered the first couple of hallways till Buffy reached the stairs. As she ran up, her mind was working overtime. What floor was Dawn's last class on?  
  
She cursed herself for not being able to remember. Buffy heard punches being thrown up the stairs and painful cries. "Gunn!" she called when she climbed the sixth flight of stairs.  
  
Gunn punched the spinney looking demon hard. It spun around and met with Buffy's fist. She took out a dagger and stuck it in the demon's stomach. "Nice of you to show up." Gunn greeted breathlessly.  
  
"You OK?" she asked him. He nodded. "I think Dawn's around here."  
  
"What makes you think that?" she asked skeptically.  
  
Gunn took a deep breath. "Cause there aren't as many demons here," he answered. "We killed all the ones that are supposed to keep people from getting to where ever Dawn is."  
  
"Let's go then." Buffy said as she launched forward, taking the steps two at a time. Gunn was right behind her, never slipping. Buffy wondered for less than a second if he was human, but her thoughts went back to her sister when she reached the top floor.  
  
Buffy pulled open the door and stepped into the hallway. She had her dagger ready; Gunn did too, as they slowly moved forward. A scream echoed through the corridor.  
  
"Dawn." She whispered as she took off. After rounding the corner, she stopped dead in her tracks Gunn crashed into her and cursed.  
  
"Hey there," SahJhan said with a smile as he looked over at Dawn, who was being held by the throat by one of his demons. "Buffy, right?" She was completely helpless, looking to Buffy with eyes of hope.  
  
"Shit." Buffy whispered.  
  
~*~  
  
"Where is she?" Fred asked nervously. "Where's Charles?"  
  
"He'll be fine, Fred." Cordy said as she squeezed her arm. Cordelia's eyes were on the chaotic building though. She remembered junior high…scary place, but not literally scary.  
  
She never knew demons existed till high school, or did she? Had she lived in denial for that part of her life? "Plus, Buffy's there now," Xander said to Fred as he nudged her with his elbow. "She'll get them out. We've been through worse. Three 'end of the world' things."  
  
Fred's eyes were glued on the building. She knew that look. Cordelia imagined she looked the same way every time she'd wait for Angel to come back from a fight. "And I was there to see both of em." Cordelia commented as she looked back at Xander.  
  
"See?" Xander told Fred. "Your guy will be fine."  
  
"Or maybe not." Cordy said with a blank stare. The vision came, but this one had no pain. SahJhan was standing in an empty hallway. Dawn was next to him, a demon hand holding her throat.  
  
Gunn and Buffy lay nearby…close to death.  
  
"What?" Fred whispered. "Grab weapons," Cordy said as she headed to Gunn's truck. "We gotta get up there before…" She decided to trail off and not give Fred a sneak peak at what she might see.  
  
"Shouldn't we call for back up?" Xander asked as he grabbed a crossbow. "No time." Cordy said as she picked up a broad sword and led the way to the school. 


	8. Chapter 7

1 Past, Present, & Future  
  
By – Colleen "Coll", Forker18@aol.com  
  
Teaser: X-over with BtVS. Cordy gets a vision that sends the gang packing to Sunnydale, knowing that Sahjahn fits into it all but not sure how. Also, they get shocked when each member of the Angel Investigations gang realizes they have to deal with their past.  
  
Genre: Angel: The Series/Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Romance/Suspense/Action  
  
Pairing: Gunn/Fred, Angel/Cordelia  
  
Rating: PG-13 - R  
  
Distribution: Sure, why not, just ask!  
  
Spoilers: Up to Sleep Tight, and makes references to some rumors floating around on the net.  
  
Special Thanks to: All the Forkers (Especially those @ the fanforum board! Love you guys!) and everyone @ FF.net for reviewing my fics!  
  
1.1 Part 7  
  
Angel walked into the backroom. Willow had said he'd be safe from the sun there, since the magic store had a skylight and it was difficult to avoid the sunlight. Punching bags, dummies, and weapons cluttered the room. Angel figured this is where Buffy trained, a lot different than the library.  
  
"How's my sire doing?" Spike called out.  
  
Angel turned to a dark corner and growled under his breath. "You don't wanna fuck with me, Spike," Angel warned through gritted teeth. "Not now."  
  
"Wasn't going to mate," Spike shot back. "I honestly am sorry. You had something none of us could have."  
  
"And I don't wanna discuss it with you." Angel said simply as he sat down in a nearby chair. Spike emerged from his corner and walked over to a door with a big exit sign over it. He pushed it open and Angel jumped up, ready to block himself from the sun.  
  
Spike laughed as he took out a pack of cigarettes. "Relax, Angle cakes," Spike said as he lit his cigarette. "No sun in this ally, with the exception of noon, but we're way past that."  
  
Angel looked to the door. "You got another one of those?" he asked Spike quietly. Spike smiled and nodded his head over to the door. Angel walked over and took the cigarette in Spike's outstretched hand.  
  
"Thanks." He said quietly as he lit it. Angel inhaled the smoke into his dead lungs. Sun would be down in three hours.  
  
Angel felt helpless. Fred had said Gunn was in trouble, and he couldn't do anything to help him. At least Buffy was there though. "They'll be back, mate." Spike said with a look as he took a long drag of his cigarette.  
  
With a nod, Angel finished his cigarette and threw it on the ground. "I know." He replied quietly.  
  
~*~  
  
"Cordelia!" Wesley hissed as they hastily ran through the halls of the school. "You can't just…barge in. There could be demons-"  
  
"Gunn and Buffy took care of them." She said as she pushed the door to the stairs open. Wesley didn't question her sureness. The way her eyes glazed over outside told him she had a vision.  
  
He was pleased Cordelia wasn't experiencing pain, not that she should be normally, but the Connor/ShaJhan visions were hurting her.  
  
He knew, even though Cordelia had gotten very good at hiding her pain from others.  
  
"How do you *know* that they took care of the demons?" Xander called from the end of the line. Fred turned and nodded towards Cordelia with knowing eyes.  
  
"How many more flights, Cordy?" Wesley asked breathlessly. "Two." She replied as she began to take the stairs two at a time. Bloody hell, he thought as he followed suit. He had to hand it to her, Cordy kept on ticking. They reached the sixth floor and Cordelia stopped.  
  
"What is it?" Fred asked.  
  
Wesley noted Cordelia's frightened eyes when she looked back at Fred. "Stay behind us." She told Fred simply as she pulled the door open.  
  
They were met with the sounds of fighting. After rounding a corner, Cordy gasped. Wesley slammed into her and took the sight in. Gunn, on the ground, against the lockers, unconscious while Buffy fought off two spinney demons.  
  
A third one had it's hand wrapped around Dawn's delicate throat. None of that held his attention, however. SahJhan stood near Dawn, watching the chaos with a smug smile. An arrow fired from Xander's crossbow when he saw Buffy being attacked.  
  
It whizzed by his target and headed towards SahJhan. The demon didn't move as the arrow passed through him. "You know, I remember stuff like this." SahJhan said as he looked behind him at the arrow that was now stuck deep in the wall.  
  
"What the hell?" Xander muttered out loud.  
  
Cordelia launched forward, sword first, and sliced one of the demon's stomachs. It crumpled to the floor and, as Buffy shot a surprised glance to Cordy, the other smacked the slayer hard in the face.  
  
Buffy slammed to the ground as Wesley stepped up and fired an arrow from his cross bow. It buried itself deep in the demon's chest.  
  
"Lucky you showed up, Seer," SahJhan spat bitterly. "You ruin everything, you know that?" "Sorry." Cordelia said as she grabbed the loaded crossbow in Fred's hands and fired.  
  
The demon holding Dawn screeched in pain when the arrow pierced it's throat. Dawn ran forward, dropping down with her sister. "I hate you people." SahJhan said with fire in his pale, soulless eyes.  
  
"I think it's safe to say the feeling's mutual," Cordelia replied. "Now why don't you tell me what the hell you're doing here."  
  
SahJhan's face broke into a smile. "And what will you do if I don't?" he scoffed at Cordelia. "Chop my head off? Impale me? You won't ever get the chance to do that, even when I come here for real and bash your worthless skull in."  
  
"And when will that be?" Wesley asked.  
  
"I've been in way too many dimensions with way too many movies about the villain giving away his plan cause he thinks he's got it in the bag," SahJhan replied. "See you real soon, kids."  
  
He disappeared before anyone could blink.  
  
"Charles." Fred whispered as she dropped to her knees. Gunn was just coming to. Fred wrapped her arms around his neck and he squeezed her back. Wes felt the stabbing pain in her heart he experienced every time he saw them together.  
  
The way Cordelia looked at him, he knew his pain was obvious. "What do you think he means?" Cordelia asked him pointedly. Her subject change pushed his pain to the back of his mind, or heart rather.  
  
"I'm not sure," Wesley replied as he looked away from Fred and Gunn's embrace. "We have to regroup though. The safest place for us all is together." Dawn and Buffy rose to their feet and nodded. "You finally get your wish Dawnie." Buffy said as she hugged her sister.  
  
"What exactly happened, Dawn?" Wesley asked her. There was a bruise growing on her neck that he was sure would become more obvious. "The board just twisted in front of the classroom," she explained quietly. "And…he came out…with demons."  
  
"It's OK now," Buffy said soothingly. "Nothing will ever touch you, got it?" Dawn nodded as Fred helped Gunn to his feet. His arm was slung around her tiny shoulders with her supporting some of his weight. "You OK, Gunn?"  
  
Gunn nodded as they made their way out of the building. Buffy and Dawn led the way followed by Gunn and Fred. Wesley hung back, letting the others pass him, but Xander hung back as well.  
  
"You OK, Wes?" he asked him, stressing his name bitterly. Wesley rubbed his neck where the bandage covered his scar. "Physically?" he replied as he began to walk forward.  
  
"I don't blame you for your thing for her," Xander said as he walked next to Wesley. "I've always liked your taste in women-"  
  
"If you don't mind, I really would rather not discuss this with you," Wesley interrupted. "She chose. She's happy."  
  
Xander hung his head, walked forward a bit, and left Wesley with his thoughts. He couldn't wit to get back to the magic shop and get to work. Wesley just wanted to think of something, anything, besides the pain in his heart. 


	9. Chapter 8

1 Past, Present, & Future  
  
By – Colleen "Coll", Forker18@aol.com  
  
Teaser: X-over with BtVS. Cordy gets a vision that sends the gang packing to Sunnydale, knowing that ShaJhan fits into it all but not sure how. Also, they get shocked when each member of the Angel Investigations gang realizes they have to deal with their past.  
  
Genre: Angel: The Series/Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Romance/Suspense/Action  
  
Pairing: Gunn/Fred, Angel/Cordelia  
  
Rating: PG-13 - R  
  
Distribution: Sure, why not, just ask!  
  
Spoilers: Up to Sleep Tight, and makes references to some rumors floating around on the net.  
  
Special Thanks to: All the Forkers (Especially those @ the fanforum board! Love you guys!) and everyone @ FF.net for reviewing my fics!  
  
1.1 Part 8  
  
"ShaJhan?" Angel echoed through gritted teeth. "You ran into ShaJhan?"  
  
Cordelia nodded as she looked down over everyone in the magic store. They kept going down there, trying their hardest not to look at Angel, see his pain. "We took care of his buddies that came in through the portal he opened," she informed him. "He said it's not over Angel. He's coming back, and he said he'll be able to hurt us."  
  
"Maybe it has something to do with Pylea," Angel said calmly. "Maybe there's something there that can make him…solid in other worlds, then he'll come here."  
  
She could practically see the anxiousness in his eyes. The wanting for ShaJhan to come so he can get revenge. "I wouldn't go planning your attack yet, Angel," she cautioned him. "He was really confident, said we wouldn't have the chance to hurt him."  
  
"There's always a way." He said as he pushed himself up and away from her. The group down stairs paused as he came down. Angel looked at them all before stopping at Buffy.  
  
"I want to go check out your sources," he told her. "See if there's been any word around here about ShaJhan." Buffy nodded, "I'll go with you." Cordy watched the scene from above, waiting for him to tell her no need.  
  
It never came.  
  
They walked out of the Magic Box silently. Why was she feeling jealous? "You feel it to, then?"  
  
Cordelia whipped around and found Spike emerging from one of the shadows. "I thought you left as soon as the sun went down." She told him. He smiled back at her. It kinda creeped her out, actually.  
  
"Well, I didn't," he shot back. "And you're not answering my question." "What do I see, Spike?" Cordy asked impatiently. "Buffy and Angel," he answered right away. "It bugs you. They say that they can never be together, that they have to stay away from each other, but there they go.  
  
"Gallivanting into the night. Fighting evil, or maybe that's what they want us to think." "Angel is thinking about nothing else like that, got it? Nothing but getting his son back." Cordelia interrupted.  
  
Mainly because everything he was saying she had thought about. "Doesn't matter what Angel's thinking, Seer," Spike shot back. "It matters what you think is happening between the star-crossed lovers."  
  
"And how do you know so much about what I'm feeling?" Cordelia asked. Spike gave her a pointed look. She could see it in his eyes. The love, the pain, the scar. "Oh, my God." She whispered.  
  
"Maybe you shouldn't say anything," he told her quietly. "Tara's the only one that knows…only cause Buffy told her."  
  
She wouldn't have believed it in the old days, before she became the Seer and half demon; but his eyes told their story: Buffy broke his heart, used him to make her feel alive. Deep down, Cordelia thought a lot about the information she just got.  
  
Did Buffy really feel something for Spike?  
  
"I won't," she told him quietly. "But we gotta focus more on ShaJhan, and Connor." Spike nodded as he licked his lips. "I'm here to help," Spike whispered. "I promised her that."  
  
Cordelia swallowed the lump in her throat and pushed herself up from where she sat. Spike was right behind her as she descended the stairs. Wesley offered her a small smile as he held a small book out for her.  
  
Cordelia took it. Connor, she repeated to herself. Think of Connor.  
  
~*~  
  
"What exactly are we looking for?"  
  
Wesley looked up at Fred. They had gone into the back where Giles left all of his books. They were searching for any books that had anything to do with dimensional travel, time shifting demons, anything.  
  
He shrugged, however, removed his glasses, and polished them with his un- tucked shirt. "I'm not sure," he responded. "Perhaps you remember something about Pylea that may make ShaJhan solid again."  
  
"Why would it be in Pylea?" she asked him, her voice cracking a bit when she called the hell dimension by it's name. "Cordelia's vision," he reminded her. "She said it had to do with Pylea and ShaJhan."  
  
Fred just returned to reading. He felt bad for her. All the thinking about Pylea must have been hard for her, but she and Lorne may be their best shot at figuring this out. They're the ones that know Pylea the most, whether their time there was good or bad.  
  
Wesley imagined how frightening all of this must be. Lorne's cryptic message about all of them facing their pasts and Cordy's vision and thoughts about Pylea and ShaJhan…he wished he could be the one that would comfort her.  
  
But Wesley knew that was not how it was going to work out. Fred looked into his eyes. It was then he realized that he had been string at her and got lost in his thoughts. "Wesley, are you OK?" she asked softly.  
  
He should tell her, instead of bottling it up, but he knew how she would react. While they may have…not really forgiven him, but are now dealing with his actions, they can never forget that it was his fault.  
  
"A little pain." He said throatily as he gestured to his neck. It wasn't an entirely untrue statement. The wound did hurt a little, but really only when he thought about what he had done.  
  
"Is there anything I can do to help?" she offered. "I mean, we're not really getting anywhere in the research department. If you want-" "I'm fine, really," he interrupted. "We have to keep researching and figure this out…for Angel."  
  
He felt her eyes on him. He took a moment to wonder if she ever felt his eyes on her when he watched form a distance. "What?" he asked quietly. "You promised me," She simply said. "Now, you're breaking it." "Breaking what?" he questioned.  
  
"You promised me you wouldn't let all this consume you," she reminded him. "You're working yourself senseless, Wesley."  
  
"What am I supposed to do?" he shot back harsher than he meant. "Sit here, do nothing?" "No." Fred managed to get in before he continued. "I have a lot to make up for, and I'm not going to stop trying."  
  
She glared at him again before gathering up a few big books and clutching them close to her. "Just don't hurt yourself." She said quietly before exiting the room. Wesley sighed. Now she was mad at him, great.  
  
He grabbed some of the books she left behind and went to return to the store. Something made him stop though, a noise of some sorts. He placed the books down on a nearby chair and walked forward, using his ears to guide him.  
  
The sound, it was like whirling. The wind was picking up, somewhere. He walked to the back of the back room and the door suddenly flew open. Wind burst into the room and knocked Wesley back.  
  
A swirling, bright light accompanied the wind. Wesley managed to look up as a figure suddenly appeared before his eyes. Wesley looked at the figure with wide eyes and hung his mouth open.  
  
"Oh, my God." He whispered.  
  
~*~  
  
"Aw, crap."  
  
Buffy walked straight up to Willy, not pausing as she grabbed him by the shirt collar and shoved him up against the wall. "Hey, Willy," She said sweetly with a bright smile. "What's up?"  
  
He glared back at her, panting and sweating, as he said, "Well, my business was until you showed up again. The you scare the crap out of my patrons Buffy." "Well, we can be quick if you don't give me any shit."  
  
Willy looked at her with wide eyes as he nodded. "OK then…demon named ShaJhan, time and dimensional traveling type, what do you know?" "Nothing." Willy answered quickly. Too quickly.  
  
"I don't believe that, Willy."  
  
The snitch's eyes grew wider as Angel came into the bar. A bunch of vampires left right then and there. "Angel? What are you doing back in town?"  
  
"Looking for that demon," he answered. "And I know you know something."  
  
Willy looked back and forth between them. "OK, all I know is your boy's been checkin out Sunnydale for a while now." "Why?" Angel asked as soon as Willy stopped talking.  
  
"Don't know why," he answered honestly. "But I will tell you lot of my customers are scheduling their vacations for the coming weeks. Not a lot of people wanna be around."  
  
Buffy watched Angel, waiting to see what he wanted to do. With one last glare at Willy, he nodded his head to the door then turned and left. Buffy looked back at Willy, let him go, and straightened his shirt.  
  
"What's with all the niceness?" he asked curiously.  
  
Buffy half smiled, "Wanted to do something nice. You helped as best you can. Sorry about the roughness, too. This whole thing is just a little urgent."  
  
"No problem," he responded. "A little niceness can get you pretty far, you know." Buffy nodded before turning and leaving the bar.  
  
~*~  
  
Gunn observed Fred as she came back to the front of the store. She was pissed, which was pretty obvious to everyone the way she slammed her big heavy books on to the table.  
  
She grabbed the top one and walked over to him with it in front of her chest. "Find anything in that one?" she asked, referring to the current book in his hand. Gunn shook his head. "Same stuff that's been in all the others."  
  
"Try this one." She offered. Gunn grabbed the book, touching her hand as he did so, and pulled her to him. "We'll try this one." He whispered. Fred sighed, looking back at the other books, then back to him.  
  
"We'll get more done if we look in separate books, Charles." She told him. Gunn pulled her against him anyway, and opened the book in front of them. "Something tells me," he whispered. "That you're mad. I'm just trying to calm you down. Just take a break, baby."  
  
She relaxed in his arms as she pushed her glasses up her nose. "Why do I always feel relaxed with you?" she asked after they looked through the book a bit.  
  
A loud crashing sound coming from the backroom caused Fred to jump a bit. "What the hell is that?" Xander asked. Gunn got up and grabbed a near by axe. "Stay here," he told everyone, but was talking more to Fred. "I'll check it out."  
  
"You shouldn't go alone." Fred said as she held on to his arm. "The girl's right, mate," Spike said as he stepped forward. "Let's go." Gunn held his hand out and connected with Spike's chest, shoving him back a bit.  
  
"If I don't trust Angel completely, what the hell makes you think that I'm gonna trust you?" Gunn asked through gritted teeth. The group stood, feeling the tension, before Fred spoke. "Cause I'm telling you too," she said firmly. "Wesley's back there, he may need help so stop arguing and go."  
  
Gunn left without another word. He knew Spike was behind him, but he tried not to think about that. As soon as they were in the back room, Gunn took it slow. "Why are you walking so slow?" Spike asked loudly as he pushed passed Gunn and out of his site. "We're investigating a noise not tracking a-"  
  
Spike was thrown back into Gunn's view. He held his ax up as he walked forward, but the ax fell from his hands after seeing what was before him. 


	10. Chapter 9

1 Past, Present, & Future  
  
By – Colleen "Coll", Forker18@aol.com  
  
Teaser: X-over with BtVS. Cordy gets a vision that sends the gang packing to Sunnydale, knowing that ShaJhan fits into it all but not sure how. Also, they get shocked when each member of the Angel Investigations gang realizes they have to deal with their past.  
  
Genre: Angel: The Series/Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Romance/Suspense/Action  
  
Pairing: Gunn/Fred, Angel/Cordelia  
  
Rating: PG-13 - R  
  
Distribution: Sure, why not, just ask!  
  
Spoilers: Up to Sleep Tight, and makes references to some rumors floating around on the net.  
  
Special Thanks to: All the Forkers (Especially those @ the fanforum board! Love you guys!) and everyone @ FF.net for reviewing my fics!  
  
1.1 Part 9  
  
"Charles!" Fred cried as the group piled into the backroom. Cordelia and Xander were armed and ready. They pushed themselves to the front, shoving Fred, Anya, Tara, Willow, and Dawn to the back.  
  
"Stay back." Cordelia said as she slowly moved forward. "I just want to say, for the record, that you leading the attack is not good for my male ego." "What male ego?" Cordelia teased with a smile before walking back towards the bookshelves in the backroom.  
  
When she rounded the first corner, she saw Spike lying unconscious on the ground. "Gunn." She cried out when she saw him with his back towards her. At least he was standing, she thought. But when he turned, a sword was being held to his throat, and Cordelia couldn't believe who was holding it.  
  
"Who's the kid?" Xander asked.  
  
"Is that…" "Connor," Gunn answered, filling in Cordelia's shocked expression. "Yeah, and can I say, not a happy kid." Cordelia lowered her weapon. She couldn't move, couldn't breath, and couldn't believe.  
  
"Angel's son?" Xander asked with raised eyebrows  
  
"My father's name is not Angel!" Connor shouted as he moved the sword away from Gunn's throat and advanced on Xander. Cordelia found her legs and moved ion front of Connor.  
  
He paused, sniffing the air in front of him, before lowering his sword. "What's happening?" Fred asked as she appeared from around the corner. Her face fell as Connor turned to look at her.  
  
"Oh, God." She whispered. The others soon made their way around. The Sunnydale gang wasn't really too sure what to make of the scene before them, but Cordelia saw it in Fred's eyes.  
  
She knew, they all knew.  
  
"Connor." Fred choked out. Gunn was at her side by this time. "What do we do now?" Gunn thought out loud. Cordelia wondered the same thing, as she looked the teenager over.  
  
He did the same. "Seer." He whispered after a minute. Connor started to resemble a caged animal with every passing minute. He had looked over everyone in the room before lifting his sword and swinging it.  
  
Gunn stepped forward and pulled Cordelia back. Connor growled a bit before turning and bolting out the door. Everyone remained where they were, frozen by shock. "That…that was Angel's son?" Tara asked quietly.  
  
Gunn, Fred, and Cordelia nodded, but their shocked expressions remained as they did so. "The one…that was in the hell dimension?" Willow added. They all nodded again.  
  
"Why are you all just standing around?"  
  
The L.A. gang turned slowly. Angel stood, waiting for an answer. Cordelia had no idea what to say to him, but she imagined her eyes would be able to give away what had just happened. "Bloody hell," Spike moaned from the floor. "Who was that little bastard?"  
  
Angel furrowed his brow and hung his head. "Angel…" Cordelia whispered. He held his hand up, indicating her to stop. "Who was that? He could hit hard, I'll tell you that." Spike asked, breaking the silence  
  
"Where is he, Cordelia?" Angel asked harshly.  
  
"Where's Wesley?" Fred asked as she looked around. Angel advanced forward, ignoring Fred's observation. "What happened Cordelia?" "We came back here," she whispered. "He was older Angel, but he was here. He ran out."  
  
Angel was out the door in an instant.  
  
Cordy cursed as she ran after him.  
  
~*~  
  
"Seriously, ya'll," Fred spoke up after Cordelia ran out of the back room. "Where's Wesley? He was here when I left." Fred looked at Gunn with raised eyebrows. Gunn shook his head, "I didn't see him when I came back here."  
  
Both Fred and Gunn turned to Spike. "What?" he asked. "You went ahead first, bro," Gunn told Spike. "Did you see Wes before Connor got you?"  
  
Spike wiped some blood away from his forehead as he looked at Fred and Gunn with a grim expression. "Wasn't Connor that attacked me," he told them. "It was something else. And I saw Wes down on the floor before it hit me."  
  
"I didn't see anything else." Gunn whispered when Fred looked back to him. Oh, God, something had Wesley, Connor was back, Angel and Cordelia went after him, and she was left with a bunch of strangers.  
  
Gunn pulled her to him. "What are we gonna do?" she muttered into his shirt. The sound of metal being drug along the floor caused Fred to look up. Buffy had picked up a fallen ax and was heading for the door.  
  
"I'll find the demon that has Wes," she told them. "Everyone else stay here." "You're not going alone," Spike told her firmly. "If that thing knocked me down with one swing, it'll kill you."  
  
"Spike…" Buffy began to protest. Gunn grabbed the ax he dropped too. "I'm going too," he announced. "We just got Wes back." "There's no way I'm talking either of you out of this, right?"  
  
Spike and Gunn nodded as Buffy headed for the door. "Everyone else stay here, keep looking." "I'll be back." Gunn told Fred as he squeezed her hand before releasing it, but she wasn't letting go.  
  
Buffy and Spike waited as Gunn grabbed her by the shoulders. "Baby, you can't come." He whispered. "I'm not giving you a choice, Charles." She replied calmly. Gunn sighed before reaching over to the weapons chest in the backroom and grabbing Fred a crossbow.  
  
"You've been practicing, right?" he asked. Fred nodded as he grabbed her hand and followed Buffy and Spike out the door.  
  
~*~  
  
Lorne sighed as he walked up to the magic store. What a long day it had been. Angel had pulled him aside earlier and told him to ask around, since Lorne had mentioned he had contacts around these parts.  
  
A big lot of nothing is what he came up with. People heard of SahJhan, but no one was talking. Either that or some of his contacts had already left town. I guess that's one of the downers of being on the Hellmouth.  
  
Lorne had heard Angel's stories of this place and some others, but being here was completely different. It was nice, sunny, and had pretty good vibes floating around…during the day anyway.  
  
It was a different story at night, although he hasn't experienced it first hand. The negative energy that filled the night air in Sunnydale would choke him sometimes. Times like now.  
  
Something big was brewing. He had gotten Angel's call earlier that told him about Dawn, the school, and SahJhan. He entered the Magic Box to find that it was totally empty.  
  
"Hello?" he called out.  
  
Nothing. Something wasn't right. He felt it all around him. All the negativity…it was all originating from here.  
  
Lorne walked over to the counter and took his hat and glasses off. Intense emotions and feelings hit him just as he was about to pick up a dusty old books and research.  
  
He turned slowly to see whose emotions were so big and strong. "Oh Lordy." Lorne gasped when he saw the sight that stood before him.  
  
A duffel bag dropped to the floor and Faith smiled at him. "Angel around?"  
  
~*~  
  
"Angel, wait!"  
  
He didn't stop though. Cordelia really didn't expect him to, but she still ran after him anyway. She heard a low growl escape from his throat as he turned, without stopping, and said, "You shouldn't have followed me, Cordelia."  
  
"Well, I wasn't gonna let you go by yourself," she told him breathlessly. "He's like a caged animal, Angel. If we find him, we have to treat the situation delicately."  
  
"When." Angel simply said. "What?" she questioned once she caught up with him. Cordy took a second to pat herself on the back for catching up with the determined vampire, even though she knew he slowed down his pace for her.  
  
"When we find him," Angel corrected. "Not if."  
  
Cordelia nodded. "When, right." 


	11. Chapter 10

1 Past, Present, & Future  
  
By – Colleen "Coll", Forker18@aol.com  
  
Teaser: X-over with BtVS. Cordy gets a vision that sends the gang packing to Sunnydale, knowing that ShaJhan fits into it all but not sure how. Also, they get shocked when each member of the Angel Investigations gang realizes they have to deal with their past.  
  
Genre: Angel: The Series/Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Romance/Suspense/Action  
  
Pairing: Gunn/Fred, Angel/Cordelia  
  
Rating: PG-13 - R  
  
Distribution: Sure, why not, just ask!  
  
Spoilers: Up to Sleep Tight, and makes references to some rumors floating around on the net.  
  
Special Thanks to: All the Forkers (Especially those @ the fanforum board! Love you guys!) and everyone @ FF.net for reviewing my fics!  
  
1.1 Part 10  
  
"So, Angel's son was…back?" Buffy asked as she looked back at Gunn and Fred. They nodded in response, and she figured that's all she was going to get from the two people out of Angel's gang that she never knew about.  
  
Buffy understood that they didn't want to talk about it. Connor was a part of all of their lives for a while; at least that's what Buffy figured.  
  
Spike held his hand out in front of Buffy. Gunn and Fred stopped as well, looking to Spike for an explanation. "What's up?" Gunn asked as he raised his ax.  
  
"It smells like that thing in the magic store," Spike told them. "It's gettin closer."  
  
Buffy watched as Gunn pushed Fred behind him. Her mind drifted elsewhere. To the place where she watched the little things that the couple did: the way Gunn protected her, the way Fred had the ability to calm Gunn down with one touch, and the way they looked at each other.  
  
Like there was no one else in the room.  
  
"Buffy!"  
  
She looked up when Spike's voice called out her name. A demon that towered over them all was lunging forward. The stench was a mix of dead things and a sewer. It's gray-blue skin looked like slimy scales and its face was covered in spikes.  
  
And it knocked Buffy off of her feet.  
  
Spike was there though, lunging forward in full vamp mode with Gunn right behind him. Buffy felt hands on her shoulders. Fred was crouching down next to her, helping Buffy up.  
  
"Get back." Buffy told her as she ran forward. The demon threw Spike into her though and she was back on the ground.  
  
Gunn raised his ax high and brought it down on the demon, slicing its shoulder. It screeched in pain and stepped back away from Gunn, who was ready to strike again. The demon opened its mouth wide and shot its tongue out, knocking the ax from Gunn's hand.  
  
The demon moved to strike, but Spike ran forward and slammed into Gunn, sending him to the ground. The vampire took the blow that was meant for Gunn and fell to the ground hard.  
  
Spike was out, and Buffy moved forward. The demon grabbed her by the throat and slammed her against the wall. Closing his hand around her throat, he raised Buffy so she was eye level with him.  
  
Its eyes were white, just white. Everything around Buffy began to blur as she struggled to breath. She felt the world go black when she suddenly felt the cool cement on her cheek.  
  
"You OK?"  
  
It was Gunn that had asked and offered his hand. She took it and he lifted her up. "What happened?" she asked as she rubbed her throat. She watched Gunn, who was looking over at Fred.  
  
"She got it with the crossbow," Gunn answered while looking at Fred. "My girl's been practicing." Buffy ignored the pang of jealousy that tightened around her heart and looked down at the ground.  
  
"Spike." She called as she dropped to her knees next to him. She wasn't really sure what to do. She shook him and kept calling his name. His eyes opened and he winced in pain.  
  
A smile tugged at Buffy's lips as Spike muttered, "Bloody hell." Relieved that he was OK, Buffy wrapped her arms around him. His arms hesitantly hugged her back. She heard Gunn loudly clear his throat behind her.  
  
What was she doing? Obviously Fred and Gunn can put two and two together, then they'll tell Angel about her and Spike, and now she's leading Spike on…making him think that there's hope for them.  
  
It was just…Spike has a way of surprising someone. Buffy thought she had him pegged, and then he goes and sacrifices himself to save Gunn, who probably would have died.  
  
She released Spike, trying her best to avoid his eyes as she stood. Buffy also tried to avoid Gunn and Fred's eyes. "Where's Wesley then?" Fred asked as Spike stood. She felt his eyes on her, and she glanced back.  
  
Her eyes told him to drop it as she slightly nodded her head to Gunn and Fred. Spike sighed and looked away from her. "Probably around here I guess." Buffy replied.  
  
"Not around here," Spike told them as he walked around and sniffed every now and again. "Can't smell the bloke anywhere. He ain't here."  
  
"Then where is he?" Gunn asked.  
  
~*~  
  
Another hard smack across his face caused Wesley to stir. His hand immediately went up to his throat. The bandage was still there, as well as the pain. There was new pain though, coming from a new origin.  
  
Wesley's hand traveled farther up his face. On the way, he felt warm moisture. Blood, coming from a serious gash on his forehead. There was a great deal of bleeding. A towel suddenly landed in his lap accompanied by a voice.  
  
"Has anyone ever told you that you're a difficult man to wake?"  
  
Wesley shot up form where he lay and saw the speaker. Holtz. He came out of the portal and knocked Wesley out. It was all coming back to him. "Holtz." Wesley muttered. The tiny man smiled.  
  
"Hello Mr. Wyndam-Pryce," he said with a polite smile. "How are you feeling?"  
  
"Like someone hit me in the head…Oh, wait, that is what happened," Wesley replied with a raspy whisper. "How did you get back here, Holtz?"  
  
"You'll find out soon enough," Holtz told him as he began to back away to the exit of the room they were in. "I can't give everything away to the first person to arrive at the party.  
  
"You won't be alone for long." Holtz told Wesley before leaving the room.  
  
~*~  
  
"Am I the only one noticing the little…thing between Buffy and Spike?" Fred asked Gunn. They walked a few paces behind the two, and were able to whisper to each other as they searched for Wesley.  
  
Gunn shook his head. "There's definitely something there," He confirmed. "Buffy's got a serious case of Necrophilia." Fred smacked his arm hard at his joke. "We shouldn't be joking, Charles," she told him. "We just concentrate on finding Wesley."  
  
Gunn sighed. Everything came back to Wes for her, didn't it? He felt Fred's fingers lace together with his. He didn't feel like holding her hand right now, though. Gunn dropped her hand and switched his ax from right hand to left.  
  
"What's the matter?" Fred whispered, clearly offended by his gesture. Gunn looked down at her. "We should be focusing on Wesley." He replied bitterly. She sighed and crossed her arms over her chest.  
  
He noticed that Fred moved slightly to the left, so she wouldn't touch him at all. Mission accomplished. Buffy and Spike stopped ahead of them and Gunn walked up next to them. "You sense something?" Gunn asked Spike.  
  
The vampire nodded. "Blood," he whispered. "I'm gonna go check it out." "Not alone." Buffy said suddenly. She turned back and looked at Fred and Gunn. "Wait here," she told them quietly. "If we're not back in fifteen minutes, go get help and come back here."  
  
Gunn nodded as Buffy and Spike ran forward. "Watch your backs!" he called after them. He turned to find Fred watching him. With a heavy sigh, he leaned against the wall…praying for Buffy and Spike to get back or that the fifteen minutes would be up and he could kick the shit out of something.  
  
~*~  
  
"You're looking for Angel?"  
  
"Who are you, his secretary?" Faith asked Lorne. The ex host furrowed his brow as he folded his arms over his chest. "Nah, not all the time," Lorne replied. "Right now I'm kinda wondering why you came to Sunnydale when you know that Angel lives in L.A."  
  
"Big guy at your office said he came down here," Faith remarked with a smile. "You know? Tall, dark, and kinda stupid…but hell he was easy on the eyes. Also said there's this big bad."  
  
"Well, Groo was right about that." Lorne muttered.  
  
"Where is he, then?" Faith asked. Lorne shrugged as he sat down at the round table and opened the book he picked up. "Beats me. Something big's already in motion, though."  
  
"I know," she said, which caused Lorne to look up. "Why do you think I got released?"  
  
Lorne closed the book and eyed Faith. "Are you telling me the council released you?" Faith nodded. "Said they needed their Slayer…plus, they knew what would happen if they tried to kill me."  
  
Lorne nodded as the back door swung open. Lorne turned and Xander walked out, freezing instantly when he saw Faith. "What the hell are you doing here?" Faith smiled at Xander.  
  
Lorne read their auras and tried his best to hide the chuckle that was resulting from the awkwardness of the moment. "She's here to see Angel," Lorne replied. "Speak of the devil, where is Angel?"  
  
Xander looked back at Lorne with a grave expression. His aura shifted suddenly, from embarrassing awkwardness to worry and sadness. "What happened?" Lorne asked, his tone changing with Xander's emotions.  
  
"Angel's son is back," Xander said quietly. "Wesley's missing, and your crew's out looking for them." Lorne's mouth dropped and his eyes went wide. This was it…the thing that was in the air…the thing that Cordelia saw…the end of the world…  
  
"Oh, and Connor's a teenager." Xander added. It was the final blow that sent Lorne spiraling down. 


	12. Chapter 11

1 Past, Present, & Future  
  
By – Colleen "Coll", Forker18@aol.com  
  
Teaser: X-over with BtVS. Cordy gets a vision that sends the gang packing to Sunnydale, knowing that ShaJhan fits into it all but not sure how. Also, they get shocked when each member of the Angel Investigations gang realizes they have to deal with their past.  
  
Genre: Angel: The Series/Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Romance/Suspense/Action  
  
Pairing: Gunn/Fred, Angel/Cordelia  
  
Rating: PG-13 - R  
  
Distribution: Sure, why not, just ask!  
  
Spoilers: Up to Sleep Tight, and makes references to some rumors floating around on the net.  
  
Special Thanks to: All the Forkers (Especially those @ the fanforum board! Love you guys!) and everyone @ FF.net for reviewing my fics!  
  
1.1 Part 11  
  
Fred imagined he knew she was watching him and just ignoring her.  
  
Or maybe, maybe, Gunn was a real big idiot.  
  
Either way, Fred wished he would do something: talk to her, look at her, or comfort her. She wasn't really quite sure what she did, or did she do anything? Something has been off about Gunn for a while now, and all she wanted was for him to just tell her what was going on.  
  
"Charles." She whispered. He looked at her with big, brown eyes that were full of pain. She wanted so badly to make it go away, but how could she do that if she had no idea what put it there.  
  
"What's going on with you?" she blurted out with a little more force. Gunn looked back at her with the same face he always used when she brought this up. "Nothing." He whispered.  
  
"Cut the bullshit, Charles," Fred shouted. "You're scaring me. I want to know what's going on." Gunn looked back at her, his face expressing shock. "Please, Charles," she pleaded. "It kills me seein you this way, and I love you so much…when you're like this…"  
  
"Wesley."  
  
Fred furrowed her brow at his reply. "Wesley? What does he have to do with this?" she asked him as she walked over to him and faced him. Gunn looked at her, opened his mouth to speak, and shut it again.  
  
Opening his mouth a second time, the words came out, "How do you feel about him?" "Wesley?" Fred asked with raised eyebrows. Gunn nodded in response. Fred shook her head, "He's my friend, you know th…"  
  
She trailed off, realizing, for the first time, what it was all about. He thought she loved Wesley. Fred knew that Wesley, well, he was interested in her at a time, but that all passed.  
  
"That's what all this has been about," she said aloud. "All those times you shut me out and lied about bein fine, that's what you thought about" "Can you blame me?" Gunn shot back as he straightened. "With the way he feels about you and the way you act with him-"  
  
"He's my friend," Fred countered, cutting Gunn off before her face fell, realizing one thing Gunn said. "The way he feels about me?"  
  
Gunn sighed and turned away from her, but Fred caught his arm and tugged him back. "Charles." She said sternly. "He loves you, Fred," Gunn said quietly, his voice choking a bit when he said her name. "He does. I'm not the man he is, Fred. You have more in common with him and he can give you a good life.  
  
"I don't have anything to give you."  
  
Fred' face softened as she cupped his face with her hands. "I love you, Charles," she said firmly. "You. I want to be with you. I kinda knew about Wesley early on, but I know that I'm supposed to be with you."  
  
The doubt remained in his eyes. "How can you know for sure?"  
  
Fred smiled at him. "The way I feel when I'm around you tells me everything I need to know," she told him. "It hurts when you're not with me, and I love ever second I spend with you. Plus, the whole end of the world thing going on…kinda makes your priorities clear to you.  
  
"You're at the top of my list, Charles. I love you."  
  
"Baby," Gunn said as he stroked her cheek with his thumb. "I love you too." His other hand tangled itself in her hair, pulling her closer, touching her lips to his. The kiss was sweet at first, like all of Charles' kisses, but Fred took the initiative.  
  
Fred opened her mouth and caressed his tongue with hers. She wrapped her arms around his neck, pulling him closer to her when he pulled away. "What is it?" she asked with a slight pout.  
  
Gunn smiled at her and pushed some of her hair out of her face. "Buffy and Spike aren't back yet," he told her sadly. "We should check it out." Fred looked at her watch, then back at him. "Buffy said-"  
  
"Something happened to them, baby," he interrupted gently. "How do you think Angel would feel if we walked away? Plus, you know, I kinda owe Spike." Fred hesitated before she nodded. "Just kinda wished we had…you know, time…to…well, we just made up-"  
  
Gunn leaned forward and silenced her with a kiss. Fred's eyes drifted close before returning the pressure. Gunn was the one to pull away again. "We have all the time in the world, cause we're gonna get through this," Gunn told her and kissed her lightly again.  
  
"Let's go." He told her as he grabbed her hand and followed the path Buffy and Spike took.  
  
~*~  
  
"You OK?"  
  
Buffy looked over at Spike. "Don't do this," She said firmly. "Not now."  
  
She could imagine that he was boiling up inside right now. "Bloody hell," he said through gritted teeth. "You know, a guy tries to just see if someone's OK and he gets his bloody head torn off."  
  
"Oh, and you weren't gonna try and make it about me hugging you, Spike?" Buffy said as she stopped and looked back at him. "Give me some credit, Buffy," Spike countered. "We're in the middle of something big. I know there's a time and a place for things."  
  
Buffy sighed. It just kept getting more and more confusing with him. Which is why she forced her mind to just keep focusing on the task at hand: finding Wesley. She wasn't going to worry about Spike or what Gunn and Fred might say to Angel.  
  
"Do you hear that?" Buffy whispered as her and Spike stopped. She looked over at him. He nodded once as he looked around. Buffy began moving forward as Spike looked around. She heard him curse and turned to see what happened.  
  
"Oh crap."  
  
~*~  
  
They were getting nowhere, and she knew it.  
  
Cordelia figured Angel knew it too. They hadn't said anything to each other in the time they spent looking for Connor. The sun was going to be up in a couple hours. They didn't have a lot of time left.  
  
She took in her surroundings. Good old Sunnydale, she thought, allowing her mind to wander for a second to something other than Connor and/or Angel. She was so busy worrying about everything that Cordy didn't notice the crack that her shoe got caught in.  
  
Angel had caught her though, like he always does. "Thanks." She whispered. Cordelia didn't really know why she bothered though; she hadn't gotten through to him so far.  
  
"No, thank you," Angel said quietly. "You've been here for me, Cordelia, ever since you got back. You'll have no idea what that means to me, and it means a lot."  
  
And that was that. Angel continued to move forward, and Cordelia took a second to take it all in before following. The vampire with a soul rounded the corner that led to an ally. Cordelia turned the corner and screamed.  
  
One of the demons that were at the school attacked Angel. Two more appeared at the end of the ally and were running straight for Angel. "Angel, look out!" Angel hit the demon he was dealing with hard, knocking it out instantly.  
  
Angel looked down at the approaching demons then back at Cordelia. "Run, Cordy! Get help!" "Angel, no-"  
  
"Run!" Angel barked as he vamped out and ran towards the demons. There was nothing she could do here, and she hated that. So she ran, and she hated that too.  
  
But everything would be OK. Angel would defeat those things, he would be able to find Connor easily by himself, and she could find Gunn and Fred and they could look too.  
  
Yeah, that's what she's gonna do.  
  
~*~  
  
"Get back!"  
  
Gunn shoved Fred back as he ran forward, ax in hand, ready to pounce the demons that were carrying Buffy and an unconscious Spike away. She was screaming at him to run though, but there was no way in hell he was gonna let the things from the school get them.  
  
A demon that jumped down from the fire escape knocked Gunn down to the ground. When he looked up, Spike and Buffy were gone. He turned and knocked the demon off of him with the handle of his ax.  
  
That's when he heard Fred's scream echo through the ally. "Fred!" He called as he got on his feet and ran back. The cross bow he gave her was on the ground, and one of those demons had Fred slung over its shoulder.  
  
Gunn picked up his pace. When he was close enough to touch the demon, he tripped, but Gunn took the demon down with him. Fred slammed into the wall as Gunn got to his feet and brought the ax down on the demon's neck.  
  
"Baby," Gunn said as he kneeled down next to her. "Baby, you OK?"  
  
Fred nodded as she brought her hands up to her head. "I'm fine," she whispered. "Just…bleedin." Gunn lifted Fred to her feet and held her close. "Shit," he muttered as he looked around the empty ally. "They got Buffy and Spike."  
  
"We should get back to the Magic Box," Fred told him. "Get a hold of Cordelia and Angel, we have to figure this out, Charles."  
  
"We will, we will," Gunn said as he pulled Fred closer and stroked her hair. "Relax. Let's go before more of those things show up."  
  
Gunn held his arm around her waist as he moved down the ally towards the streets. Fred was still a little groggy, so Gunn moved a little slower and more cautiously. When they reached the street, someone slammed into them, knocking Gunn down and Fred landing on top of him.  
  
"Gunn, Fred, thank God!"  
  
Gunn looked up and saw Cordelia who was now hunched over and breathing heavily. "Cordy, what happened? Where's Angel?"  
  
"Taken," she replied as Gunn and Fred got to their feet. "By the demons that were at the school." "Those things just took Buffy and Spike." Fred said quietly.  
  
"Shit," Cordy muttered. "Something's happening. We should get back to the store, find Wes."  
  
Gunn and Fred exchanged a look before turning back to Cordelia. "Wesley's gone, Cordy," Fred told her. "I brought it up before you and Angel left." Cordelia looked like she wanted to smack herself.  
  
"Great, we just lost almost all of our muscle and now a big chunk of our brain," Cordy sighed. "We gotta get back…do something."  
  
"You do realize this is it Cordelia," Gunn said as they began to walk. "The big thing you saw is getting closer. We can't just go back to the magic store and dick around."  
  
"Who says we're going back to the magic store to dick around," Cordelia replied. "We're going there to load up, get everyone else, then go and kick this things ass." 


End file.
